Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (GCB) was the fourth President of South Africa , former President of the ruling political party.
The African National Congress as well as a former Deputy President of South Africa. -Africa .He is a popular figure, even across political boundaries, but has been seen as controversial since his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik , was convicted and convicted of corruption and fraud. These events led to Zuma's dismissal as Deputy President of South Africa in June 2005. After the leadership of the African National Congress officially recalled him as president on 13 February 2018 (thus asking to resign), he initially refused, but announced his resignation the next day.
On June 29, 2021, Zuma became the first president since the end of the white minority government in 1994 to be jailed. The Constitutional Court of South Africa sentenced him to 15 months for contempt of court after disregarding an earlier court order to return to Court to testify before the Zondo Commission.
Introduction and background
Shortly after his dismissal as deputy president of South Africa, Zuma was formally charged with corruption. However, the case was struck off the court roll after the public prosecutor's application for adjournment was rejected.
In December 2005, Zuma was also charged with rape in the Johannesburg High Court. The alleged victim, the daughter of a departed friend of Zuma from the struggle era, is HIV- positive, a fact known to Zuma.
On May 8, 2006, the court dismissed the charges in a ruling in which the judge agreed with the defense that the sexual act in question was consensual in nature. During the trial, Zuma admitted that he had unprotected sex with his prosecutor but that he took a shower after the time, to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. The statement was prejudiced by the judge, health experts and AIDS activists. Cartoonists like Zapiro also mocked it in the dailies, permanently depicting a shower head above Zuma's head.
As possibly the most prominent Zulu ANC politician, and a leader among left-wing support groups within the ANC, he could still count on substantial support even after his dismissal as deputy president of the country. His wide support base meant that he was able to retain his role as deputy president of the ANC.
On 18 December 2007 , at the ANC's 2007 national congress in Polokwane , he beat the president of South Africa and former leader of the ANC by 2 329 against 1 505 votes to become the new president of the ANC.
It was this success in Zuma's campaign that led him to become the next president of South Africa.
Early years and family
Zuma was born on 12 April 1942 in Nkandla , (now KwaZulu-Natal Province ). Zuma spent his childhood between Zululand and the suburbs of Durban . His father was a policeman, who died towards the end of World War II when Zuma was still a young boy. He tended cattle as a young boy and received no formal education . His tribal name is Msholozi which is used by his supporters to refer to him.
He became involved in politics at an early age and joined the ANC in 1959 . He became an active member of Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1962 , after the banishment of the ANC in 1960 .
Zuma met his first wife, whom he is still married to, Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo, in 1959. He has no children by his first wife who is known as "MaKhumalo" or "MaShobane" and lives at Zuma's house in Nkandla. Zuma later took two more women while he was in exile in neighboring countries of South Africa. His second wife was Ms. Kate Mantsho, an air hostess of the Mozambican airline with whom he had four children. Mantsho committed suicide in 2000 after a 24-year marriage.
In the 1980s, he married his next wife, Ms. Former Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini met in Swaziland while working at Mbabane State Hospital. They have four children together and were divorced in 1998.
In 2002, Zuma remarried to Mantuli Zuma, with whom he has two children. His youngest wife, the fifth, is Thobeka Stacy Mabhija, for whom he recently paid lobolo and with whom he already has two children. Zuma also had a child with Minah Shongwe, sister of Judge Jeremiah Shongwe, who withdrew from Zuma's rape case.
Participation in the struggle against Apartheid
Prison and exile
After his release, he was instrumental in the relocation of the ANC underground structures in the Natal province. He left South Africa in 1975 and was first based in Swaziland and then in Mozambique where he worked with thousands of expatriates after the Soweto uprising.In 1963 he was arrested along with a group of 45 recruits near Zeerust in the Western Transvaal . He was convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government and sentenced to 10 years in prison, which he served on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela , who was in prison at the time due to another incident.
He became a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee in 1977 . He also served as Deputy Chief Deputy of the ANC in Mozambique, a position he held until the signing of the Nkomati Agreement between the Mozambican and South African governments in 1984 . After the signing of the agreement, he was appointed as the main delegate of the ANC. Zuma was forced to leave Mozambique in January 1987 after considerable pressure on the Mozambican government by the PW Botha regime. He went to the ANC headquarters in Lusaka , Zambia, moved where he was appointed Head of Underground Structures and shortly thereafter as Head of the Intelligence Division.
He served on the ANC's political and military council when it was formed by the mid - 1980s .
Returning to South Africa
After the disbandment of the ANC in February 1990 , he was one of the first ANC leaders to return to South Africa to begin the negotiation process.
In 1990, he was elected chairman of the ANC in the Southern Natal area, and played a leading role in combating political violence in the area between members of the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party . The IFP, led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi , at that time placed considerable emphasis on Zulu prideand political power.
In this context, Zuma's Zulu legacy has been crucial in ANC efforts to end the violence. The ANC's strategy was to emphasize political rather than tribal affiliation as the cause of the violence and to garner support among Zulus in the area.
He was elected Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC in 1991 and in January 1994 he was nominated as the ANC candidate for the KwaZulu-Natal premiership .
Political career
Rise national leader
After the first multiracial election in South Africa in 1994, Zuma was appointed a Member of the Executive Committee on Economic Affairs and Tourism for the KZN provincial government after withdrawing his candidacy for deputy president of the ANC to allow Thabo Mbeki to to be elected unopposed to the office.
In December 1994, he was elected National Chairman of the ANC and Chairman of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, and was later re-elected to office in 1996 . He was elected Deputy President of the ANC at the ANC's National Congress in Mafikeng in December 1997 .
Term as deputy president of South Africa
Zuma was appointed Deputy President of South Africa in June 1999 by the newly appointed President Mbeki . He was widely seen as the natural successor to the presidency when Thabo Mbeki retired.
As Deputy President, he has been involved in various foreign affairs issues such as bilateral relations with, among others, Sweden , Nigeria , Germany , Australia and China . Furthermore, he was involved in Nepad and the African Union affairs and the mediation of peace efforts in the Great Lakes states.
In this regard, he acted in Kampala together with President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda as a mediator in the Burundi peace process.
His duties in office also included the chairmanship of the South African National Aids Council. The Aids Council is a high-level multisectoral body that aims to play a leadership role in building consensus on Aids policy and strategy.
On 18 April 2002 , the Moral Heropboubeweging ( English : Moral Regeneration Movement ) at the Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria launched. The organization was formed after a number of shocking crimes were committed, such as the rape of babies.
In his capacity as deputy president, Zuma was given responsibility for the initiative.
In that role, he delivered several speeches on the subject.
In his speeches, he argued that the message that moral renewal is the responsibility of every South African, and not just that of the movement's leadership or government. He also said that "every South African must be an agent for moral reconstruction".
On 10 February 2003 , MP Raenette Taljaard, who spoke to the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance ,'s spokesperson on South Africa's arms deal, in a letter to President Mbeki asked whether he considered it appropriate to have a cloud of suspicion over the deputy president charged with the campaign for moral renewal and reconstruction.
Mbeki confirmed in a written reply that Zuma would continue to lead the campaign, to which Taljaard responded that if it were the kind of moral leadership, one would not be surprised if the number of Yengenis multiplied.
During his tenure as Deputy President, he resigned in June 1998 from Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, at that time Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, divorced.
ANC leadership contest
While serving as deputy president, Zuma enjoyed considerable support from the left wing of the ANC, including many in the ANC Youth League , the South African Communist Party and COSATU . While Zuma faced corruption charges, the organizations continued to support Zuma. Support for the semi-autonomous structures within the party helped Zuma retain support even after he lost the deputy presidency.
For example, he was reappointed as ANC deputy president after resigning from the post shortly after Schaik's conviction. He also received a salary from the party for the post - a privilege not previously enjoyed by incumbents.
Zuma's dismissal was interpreted in two ways. Many South African and foreign observers have seen this as a clear sign that the South African government is committed to eradicating corruption within its own ranks.
On the other hand, some people in South Africa have emphasized the fact that Zuma and Mbeki represent different support bases within the ANC. Some leftists saw his dismissal as an opportunity for Mbeki's more market-oriented wing in the party to further strengthen their rise, and conspiracy theories about Zuma's out-of-the-way elimination are circulating in some circles.
In each of his corruption-related court appearances in 2005, Zuma drew large crowds of supporters in support of his case. During one of the court appearances, Zuma supporters burned T-shirts with Mbeki's image on them. It was condemned by the ANC and Zuma and his allies called for a return to party discipline for future rallies. At the next court appearance in November 2005, thousands of Zuma supporters gathered to support him; he addressed the crowd in Durban in Zulu and advocated party unity. He performed the apartheid- era struggle song Leth 'umshini wam on the occasionsung with lyrics that, when translated literally, mean "bring me my machine gun". During an October tour for the ANC Youth League elsewhere in the country, Zuma was also applauded by large crowds. Although its continued popularity was at least in part based on intra-party politics, it is believed that the Zulu approach to loyalty and helpfulness was also a factor.
Due to support by elements within the party, Zuma remains a creditworthy political figure; many believed that all that stood between him and the presidency was a credible defense against the corruption charges leveled against him. This is a task that has been complicated but by no means made impossible by the unequivocal judgment against Shaik. Political commentators nevertheless doubted whether Zuma would be able to satisfy leftists, as the same global and national economic constraints that shaped Mbeki's presidency would also apply in later presidential terms.
Presidency
On 9 May 2009 , Zuma is inaugurated as the fourth democratically elected President of the Republic of South Africa.
While on an official visit to China to strengthen political and economic ties between the two countries, on December 5, 2014, he received an honorary professorship from Tsinghua University in Beijing .
Controversy
Corruption charges
It was about the undue influence in South Africa's controversial arms deal, and the question of whether financial benefit arose from it. While Yengeni was convicted, the case against Zuma was dropped. Ngcuka stated that "… that there was prima facie evidence of corruption, but insufficient to win the case in court". Ngcuka left the civil service after the incident to pursue a career in private practice.Bulelani Ngcuka, at that time National Director of Public Prosecutions, investigated allegations of abuse of power against both Zuma and the ANC's chief whip Tony Yengeni .
In 2004 , Zuma became a key figure in the Schabir Shaik trial. Schabir Shaik , a Durban businessman and also Zuma's financial adviser, was questioned about the purchase of Value class patrol corvettes by South Africa, a proposed waterfront development in Durban, and generous spending on Zuma's residence in Nkandla .
On June 2, 2005 , Shaik was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The judge, Hillary Squires , described the relationship between Zuma and Shaik as generally corrupt.
After twelve days of intense media speculation about Zuma's future, President Thabo Mbeki relieved him of all his duties as Deputy President on 14 June 2005 . Mbeki stated in a joint sitting of parliament: "In the interests of the Honorable Deputy President, the Government, our young democratic system and our country, it would be best to honor the Honorable Jacob Zuma from his responsibilities as Deputy President of the Republic. and to remove a member of the Cabinet. " (Engels: "in the interest of the honorable deputy president, the government, our young democratic system and our country, it would be best to release the honorable Jacob Zuma from his responsibilities as deputy president of the republic and member of the cabinet." )
Shortly afterwards, the National Prosecuting Authority announced that it would charge Zuma with two counts of corruption. The trial date is scheduled for July 31, 2006 .
However, on September 20, 2006 , Judge Herbert Msimang deleted the corruption trial from the Durban Supreme Court. The State's poor handling of the Zuma case made it impossible for Msimang to postpone the case further. After that, the National Prosecuting Authority, as expected from political quarters, charged Zuma again.
Judge Chris Nicholson declared the case against Zuma in the Pietermaritzburg High Court invalid on 12 September 2008 . The judge said the verdict had nothing to do with Zuma's guilt or innocence, but with the unfair administration of justice. He also criticized the government for their politicization of the case.
Rape Case
On the morning of December 6, 2005 , a formal rape charge was made against Zuma. Zuma vehemently denied the allegations and reaffirmed his political commitment to combating sexual violence. Before the charges were formally laid, rumors of the rape allegations began circulating in November. It began to look as if Zuma's political prospects had begun to deteriorate. Former allies have begun making statements that seem to distance themselves from Zuma. Reports have surfaced claiming he was likely to resign from his party post. In November 2005, an investigation was launched into allegations that Zuma had raped a 31-year-old family friend at his home in Forest Town, Johannesburg . Even before the complaint was lodged, the media reported that the alleged victim was a member of a prominent ANC family and was also an AIDS activist; and that Zuma admitted that he had a consensual sexual relationship with the woman.
At first it seemed as if the rape charges had halted Zuma's supporters' pace. But in a trial before his rape case, thousands of Zuma supporters gathered in court again, while a smaller group of anti-rape groups protested on behalf of the alleged rape victim. Zuma sang the controversial "Mshini" battle song for the crowd, and spokespersons for the ANC Youth League and Communist Party Youth League expressed their support for Zuma. During the course of Zuma's rape case, reports surfaced that the South African Communist Party (SACP) was deeply divided over how to address the Zuma issue and the SACP's relationship with him. Many members of the party's youth wing supported Zuma while other people in the SACP were skeptical about the value of joining a specific person rather than focusing on the principles of government.
Despite the breakaway of former supporters, Zuma stalwarts continued to gather in court. In an incident later condemned by the Friends of Jacob Zuma, a group of mostly female Zuma supporters burned underwear and photos of the alleged victim while shouting the slogan "Burn this bitch". Anti-rape groups have criticized the frequent attacks on the integrity and moral standing of Zuma's accuser, insults shouted at a good friend of the complainant and stones thrown at women members of the crowd after being considered the complainant.
Zuma's defense team presented evidence on the woman's sexual history, stating that the sex that took place was consensual; the prosecutors claimed that her lack of resistance was due to shock. The trial also led to controversy when Zuma admitted that he did not use a condom when he had sex with the woman, despite being aware that she was HIV- positive. He argued in court that he dumped to reduce his risk of infection. This has upset HIV educators who stress that it would do nothing to prevent HIV transmission.
Zuma was found not guilty on May 8, 2006 by Judge Willem van der Merwe on the charge of rape. The judge based the finding on his analysis of the evidence which focused on the following points: Unbelievable evidence and statements by SAPS witnesses about the difference in the complainant and the accused's versions of the scene of the alleged rape. The difference and analysis of the psychological reports and evidence presented to the state and the complainant in court. The judge's conclusion that the complainant has a tendency to make false rape allegations.
Women's rights
Criticism of homosexuality and same-sex marriage In 2004, when Zuma was still Deputy President, he spoke in favor of traditional virginity tests conducted in the Zulu and Swazi communities. He encouraged young girls to undergo virginity tests to combat the spread of HIV / AIDS and teenage pregnancy. Human rights groups have objected to the use of virginity tests being a human rights violation.
In September 2006, Zuma allegedly said during his Heritage Day speech in KwaDukuza that an ungqingili (homosexual person) had never stood before him in his younger days, because he would have "flattened" him. He also allegedly said that same-sex marriage is a disgrace to the nation and to God. Zuma later "unconditionally" apologized for the "pain and anger" that could have caused his remarks.
At the same time, he said that he "deserves the deserving contribution that many gay and lesbian compatriots have made to the freedom struggle and the role they continue to play in building a successful non-racial, non-discriminatory Southern Africa, respect, recognize and praise ".
Zuma's apology provoked mixed reaction as some organizations felt he was only apologizing for the feelings that defused his statements and not for the statements themselves.
"Shoot the Boer" song
On 8 January 2012, after his political speech at the ANC's 2012 centenary celebrations in Bloemfontein, Jacob Zuma sang the provocative lyrics of the "Skiet die Boer " song.This is the same song for which Julius Malema was charged with hate speech.
