Zuma raids 'politically driven'
2005-08-19 06:52
Deon de Lange and Adriaan Basson
Johannesburg - A direct, challenging attack on the revolution itself.
That was how Cosatu's central committee angrily reacted on the Scorpions'
raid on the homes of former deputy president Jacob Zuma.
Thursday's raids on the homes of Zuma and the properties of confidantes were
causing a split in the ruling alliance and could lead to unrest in South
Africa, Cosatu said.
Cosatu, the biggest trade union federation in the country, reacted after documents and
computer discs were removed from Zuma's house in Forest Town, Johannesburg.
Zuma's traditional home in KwaZulu-Natal and his flat in Killarney,
Johannesburg, were allegedly also searched.
The Scorpions also searched the homes of, among others, three of Zuma's
moneylenders, his attorneys and the French arms manufacturer from which he
allegedly had received bribes.
Call to reinstate Zuma
Among them were Jurgen Kögl, apparently a friend of President Thabo Mbeki,
and Nora Fakunde-Nkuna, a controversial businesswoman from Nelspruit.
Cosatu alleged the raids were done in reaction to their requests earlier
this week that Mbeki reinstate Zuma as deputy president and to withdraw the
charges against him.
But Scorpions spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi rejected the allegation, saying "we
are not being led by anybody's comments", reported Liezl de Lange.
"We are a law enforcement authority," Nkosi told a media conference in
Pretoria.
He said the National Prosecuting Authority received a search warrant
from the Pretoria High Court on Friday, but Thursday was the most suitable
time to do the raids because certain logistics first had to be in place.
The Scorpions, including armed men and investigators, arrived at Zuma's
house about 07:00.
Violent argument
About two hours later the police's presidential protection unit arrived at
the property, tyres squealing, and about 10 men armed with R-4 rifles
stormed into the house.
An violent argument could be heard from outside the house, and after a while
the Scorpions came out.
They parked their vehicles in the street and the investigators re-entered
the house unarmed.
The police were apparently unaware of the raids.
Nkosi said they reached an
agreement that the Scorpions would leave their arms outside Zuma's house.
'Political blackmail'
After the raids, Cosatu issued a statement, calling the raids "an attack on our hard-won democratic gains".
"We will not be intimidated, nor bow to political blackmail.
"These raids
also showed that the prosecuting authority and the government system could
be manipulated and influenced to take biased political decisions and act
accordingly."
Cosatu alleged that the sudden action was more proof that the prosecuting
authority - after five years of investigation - still did not have any
evidence against Zuma.
It called on Zuma not to be intimidated by the
government's politically driven raids.
Nkosi denied this and said the NPA already had enough information to
prosecute Zuma.