Zuma undertook a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom from 3 March to 5 March 2010, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation has dismissed claims that the former president was involved in any “unlawful conduct” following the emergence of documents and emails that link Zuma to an intimate dinner organised by the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in London in 2010.
According to reports, Zuma undertook a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom from 3 to 5 March 2010 at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Dinner with Zuma
In one email, Mark Lloyd, who identified himself as a friend of Epstein, wrote to Vera to arrange a “small dinner” with Zuma.
The email in the Epstein Files sent on Thursday, 4 March 2010, reads as follows:
“Dear Vera, I am a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, and I have been asked to help arrange a small dinner tomorrow night for President Jacob Zuma of South Africa at the Ritz Hotel at 7:00pm tomorrow evening. Jeffrey suggested that I invite you, as you would be certain to add some real glamour to the occasion.
“A friend of Jeffreys is a friend of mine, so I have no hesitation inviting you to join us. If you are not put off by the extremely short notice and would be able to accept, can you let me have a little more information about yourself as well as your full name ( as I have to present the President with a summary of the guests in advance). With best regards, Mark Lloyd,” [sic] the email read.
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Trove of documents
The tranche of documents published by the US department of justice, which runs to 3 million pages, was released on Friday, 23 January, and has cast new light on what Zuma did on his final evening in London.
Russian model
Zuma seemingly had an intimate dinner with Epstein and a Russian model.
Vera then responded to Lloyd in an email.
“Hello Mark. It is very kind of you and Jeffrey to invite me and i will be honored to accept your invitation. About myself : my name is [redacted]. I’m from Russia and I have lived in London for the past 2 years.
“I am a model , represented by Select model agency. I have been modeling for the past 6 years and have lived in Paris, New York, Barcelona and Japan. Please let me know if you need any other information. Will it be a black tie event or is a sleeveless cocktail dress ok?” [sic] Vera said in the email.
The next email pertaining to the Zuma dinner was sent to Epstein on Saturday, 6 March, the day after, apparently from Mark Lloyd.
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Russian model
“Jeffrey, [Name redacted; presumably the Russian model] was magnificent! She is that rare combination of elegance, charm and natural beauty and what is more, she is smart with it! She made a very positive impression on all those who met her, so thank you very much indeed for this introduction.”
“That aside, we all found Jacob Zuma a much more impressive character than we had expected, he displayed more gravitas and none of the macho bluster he is generally portrayed as having by the tabloid press,” [sic] Lloyd wrote.
‘Do we like SA?’
The last reference to the dinner is found in a response Epstein wrote to an unknown correspondent who emailed him on 6 March 2010.
“I am also summoned to see Presdt Zuma tomorrow for private meeting. Do we like South Africa ???”[sic]
Epstein replied
“Very much„, you can ask him about the girl next to Mark Lloyd [name retracted, presumably the Russian model], my new future ex”.[sic]
Zuma responds
The Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, slammed the reports.
“The so-called ‘revelation’ published by Daily Maverick is a textbook example of agenda-driven journalism built on innuendo, third-party emails and retrospective guilt by association.
“At no point does the article allege, let alone establish, any unlawful or improper conduct by Jacob Zuma,” Manyi said.
Smear campaign
Manyi claimed the reports are a smear campaign against Zuma.
“The attempt to smear President Zuma by proximity to the unrelated crimes of a third party is unethical, irresponsible and intellectually dishonest.
“The Jacob Zuma Foundation will not participate in speculative narrative-building disguised as investigative journalism,” Manyi said.
Manyi added, “The matter is closed.”
High profile
Zuma is not the only high-profile person mentioned in the Epstein files.
The fresh cache of files related to the investigation into Epstein contains documents that reference US President Donald Trump and other high-profile figures, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson.
ALSO READ: Trump administration denies cover-up over redacted Epstein files
