RANJENI MUNUSAMY: Was what Zuma did state capture or high treason?
'The Zondo commission could soon be faced with evidence that what occurred was not just state capture but high treason'
EXTRACT
The former head of the National Intelligence Agency, Gibson Njenje, is struggling to understand why Zuma turned on people he trusted for decades.
"I would still want to talk to him and ask him what happened," Njenje said as he explained how the intelligence bosses tried to warn Zuma that his relationship with the Guptas was undermining national security.
Njenje said Zuma was not interested. He instead told them how the Guptas had come to the aid of his children Duduzane and Duduzile.
It is hardly surprising that former president Jacob Zuma is reluctant to participate in the state capture commission. His lawyers wrote to it saying he was "satisfied" that the evidence presented to judge Raymond Zondo did not implicate him in any infringement of statutes, policies of government or ethical codes. This is not true. Zuma is compromised by the evidence, including that of former government spokesman Themba Maseko who said the ex-president instructed him to help the Guptas. But wild horses could not drag Zuma to the commission to clarify his relationship with the family. It would probably be difficult for him to explain things like how the Guptas knew about his cabinet appointments before he announced them, where he got the bogus intelligence report he used to fire Pravin Gordhan and Mcebisi Jonas, and what he wanted Nhlanhla Nene to do on the nuclear deal. It would be interesting to hear if Zuma ever felt debased by the way the Guptas treated him. He is a generally affa...
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