Share

DA to analyse Zuma spy tapes 'very carefully'

Bloemfontein - The so-called Zuma spy tapes and the decision to drop corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma will be thoroughly reviewed, DA leader Helen Zille said on Thursday.

"We will be analysing those tapes very carefully and cross-checking them to make sure as far as possible that they are authentic," she said in Bloemfontein after the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the release of the recordings.

"We are now reaching the end... in this matter. Now that we have these records we will proceed with the review of the NPA’s decision to drop the charges against Jacob Zuma."

'None of us is above the law'

She said Zuma and his "network" had hijacked the South African judiciary, and the SCA's decision was a victory for the country's constitutional democracy.

"We are all equal before the law. None of us is above the law. The court systems are being hijacked by politicians like Zuma and his network... If anybody is suspected of a crime and if there is a case to be made, that person must have his day in court, whether that person is a president or a pauper."

She said the court's decision was encouraging.

"Today the courts, as the ultimate guardian of our democracy, have acted to stop the capture of another institution, the National Prosecuting Authority, by the president and his clique inside the ANC," she said.

"They must know that their actions are subject to review by the courts and that although the wheels of justice grind slowly they still grind exceedingly fine."

'Give us the tapes'

The crowd, dressed in blue, chanted "Give us the tapes".

"Today we can feel reassured that the institutions tasked to protect our democracy are very much alive and well. As long as we have an independent judiciary that is prepared to hand down court orders such as this one today we are still standing and we are still fighting," said Zille.

The court ruled that within five days, the NPA had to comply with a previous order, in an application brought by the Democratic Alliance, to release the tapes.

The actual recordings, internal memoranda, reports and minutes of meetings dealing with the contents of the recordings had to be provided.

Conversations on the recordings were cited as a reason to drop fraud and corruption charges against Zuma, shortly before he was sworn in as president in 2009.

Political gain

The tapes allegedly reveal collusion between the former heads of the Directorate of Special Operations, the now defunct Scorpions, Leonard McCarthy, and the NPA's former head Bulelani Ngcuka, to manipulate the prosecutorial process, before the ANC's Polokwane conference in 2007. Zuma was elected ANC president at the conference.

At the time, acting NPA boss Mokotedi Mpshe said they showed there was a political conspiracy against Zuma and so the case could not continue.

The DA applied for access to the recordings and despite winning previous court cases could not obtain them.

Zuma's legal team had argued in the latest application that the DA would use them against him for political gain.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 567 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 808 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE