South African Deputy President Sacked over Corruption Worries

There is a sense in the US that once apartheid ended, all South Africans lived happily ever after. However, crime is up, AIDS is a major concern, and the deputy president, Jacob Zuma, has been tied to a financier who has been convicted of corruption and fraud. Crime and AIDS persist in South Africa, but as of yesterday, Mr. Zuma is not deputy president of the nation any longer. Guilty or innocent, he had to go.

While it is unfair, it is an iron rule of politics that one is guilty until proven innocent. And any leader who cannot dispel the charges quickly becomes a distraction from the business of government. Votes of “no confidence” exist precisely to address this situation without resort to courts. Leaders, government or otherwise, cannot lead effectively if they become “the story.”

South African President Thabo Mbeki told a special joint session of parliament, "I've come to the conclusion that the circumstances dictate that in the interests of the honorable deputy president, the government and our young democratic system . . . it will be best to release honorable Jacob Zuma from his responsibilities as deputy president of the republic and member of the cabinet." In short, he didn’t jump, he was pushed.

Mr. Zuma’s situation became untenable after his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was found guilty of fraud and corruption by a Durban High Court and that same court called the relationship of the two “generally corrupt.” He claims he is innocent, and the African National Congress, its trade union supporters and the Communist Party of South Africa (which still matters) backed him. It is true that he has not been convicted of any wrongdoing, but being purer than Caesar’s wife matters in a nation still building a democratic foundation.

In the end, the scandal was bigger than Messrs. Zuma, Shaik and Mbeki. The BBC quoted John Stremlau of the international relations at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand as saying, "It's a defining moment for South African democracy, and it reaffirms South Africa as Africa's last great hope. He [Mbeki] showed great leadership.” And the Beeb also had Razia Khan, chief economist Africa at the Standard Chartered Bank in London saying, “It will be seen as the right thing for South Africa” -- especially ahead of the G-8 summit in Scotland next month.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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