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Jacob Zuma

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11 Aug, 2015

Calls death ‘just an incident’

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Zuma brushes aside the killing of Cecil.

What it sounds like from a distance [is] that the hunter did not know that Cecil was so popular, just saw a lion, and killed a lion, and it’s Cecil, and Cecil is very well loved and it caused a problem, because everyone wants to go and see Cecil. I think it’s just an incident. I was told by somebody that there is a brother of Cecil. Who? There is Jericho. Thanks God, now people will ask if Jericho is among these lions and they will not shoot, I would imagine. Really I didn’t think it could become such a big issue, but it is a big issue because Cecil was loved. But I think maybe that the fellow did not know. And he just took a nice lion and it was Cecil. I think Zimbabwe has laws about hunting and everything, I don’t think it’s a matter we could really debate that much.

The President of Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe responds:

I’m surprised that President Zuma would make a such a comment with regard to an animal hunted in a neighbouring country. I find it very undiplomatic and very unfair to comment on a sovereign state.

6 Aug, 2015

Zuma says persuasion limited

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In response to a question from the Inkatha Freedom Party, who cites Burundi as an example, Zuma says he tried to dissuade Nkurunziza from seeking a third term but hit a wall when his pleas were ignored.

Many of us interacted to say that might not help the country. We cannot say there was no effort to solve that African problem. I sent an envoy. He said it is not going to cause trouble, he has taken a decision and the constitution is on his side. Once you have reached that stage… when an African leader is not interested, that becomes difficult…No military men can take over as they please. There are a few exceptions. Burundi, where even its own regions could not persuade it … but even there the man is not saying he is going to stay forever… he has argued the point through the constitution and the court has supported him. We can’t force people, we have to talk to them, nudge them.

He says leaders have to respect the sovereignty of other African nations while they try to resolve problems.

It does not mean we will solve all matters at the right time…we are not going to ride roughshod over constitutions.

Police recruited

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The Speaker of the National Assembly says that South African Police Services officers had been recruited by parliament. The police officers have resigned from the police force and signed on as parliamentary employees. The EFF says the

Speaker of Parliament…must come prepared to tell Zuma to answer the question as to when is he going to pay back the money unduly spent in Nkandla. The EFF would like to reiterate that it will never be intimidated by all these efforts by the African National Congress-controlled parliament to use force and protect Zuma against a question.

Acting parliamentary spokesperson refuses to answer whether these individuals are going to be in action in the National Assembly.

Defends failure to arrest

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After Maimane, head of the Democratic Alliance, calls Bashir ‘a man wanted … for genocide against Africans,” and asks Zuma why he had not kept previous promises to enforce the warrant – as all ICC members are bound to do, Zuma tells paparliament Bashir would have been detained if he had visited South Africa as an individual, rather than as a delegate to an AU summit.

Bashir’s coming to South Africa, it was on the invitation of the AU (African Union). He is the guest of the AU.

Zuma receives support from one of his critics, EFF leader Malema, who tells parliament:

We are not going to agree for the arrest of an African leader in South Africa to polarise Africa and make South Africa an enemy of the whole of Africa.

4 Aug, 2015

Zuma impeachment motion notice

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The Democratic Alliance gives the National Assembly notice of a motion to be debated on August 18 for the impeachment against President Zuma.  DA leader Maimane:

The events that led to the escape of Bashir represent a clear violation of the president’s oath to ‘obey, observe, uphold and maintain the Constitution and all other law of the Republic’ and serve as nothing less than grounds for his removal from office in terms of section 89[1][a] of the Constitution. In blatant disregard of their legal obligations, however, Cabinet granted Bashir immunity while attending the summit of the African Union [AU] in June, and subsequently allowed him to escape the country. President Zuma, as the head of the Cabinet, bears ultimate responsibility for this decision.

The ANC says the proposed motion is a publicity stunt by the DA:

Section 89 of the Constitution states amongst others that the president may only be removed from office for a serious violation of the Constitution or the law. No court of law has ever found the president guilty of violation of the law or the Constitution. In the absence of any constitutional or legal basis, Mmusi Maimane’s motion amounts to political posturing and is not worth the paper it is written on. As we have repeatedly stated, all heads of states and delegates that attended the African Union summit in Sandton were granted diplomatic immunity by the government in line with international standards and practices related to events such as the one held recently in our country.

3 Jul, 2015

NPA files papers

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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) files its papers in the spy tapes case, after missing the previous deadline. In response to the DA’s questioning of the NPA’s decision to withdraw criminal charges against Zuma after his election as ANC leader, the NPA papers argue that Zuma was charged with corruption to stop then President Thabo Mbeki from being recalled.

23 Jun, 2015

Releases Marikana report

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Almost three years since 34 men were shot dead on a hillside by South African Police, following the death of 10 other people, including police officers and mine security staff,  Zuma releases the  Marikana Report. the report calls for an investigation into the National Police Commissioner’s fitness to hold office. The commission also recommends that the North West Provincial Commissioner Zukiswa Mbombo, be investigated as well.

I have written to the national commissioner to inform her of the recommendations pertaining to her…The commission recommends a full investigation…with a view to ascertaining criminal liability on the part of all members of the SAPS members who were involved.

The commission largely cleared members of the executive for their role in the shooting, saying Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa did not cause the shooting. Zuma:

The commission found that the executive played no role in the decision of the police to implement the tactical role.

It said the deaths of 10 people, ahead of the massacre should be criminally investigated. The Marikana workers are unhappy about being given such short notice of Zuma’s conference, but do not contest it as they want what they term the truth, to be released.

31 May, 2015

Leaders urge delay

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Heads of state of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, plus South African President Zuma meet in Tanzania to discuss a political crisis in Burundi triggered by the president’s plan to run for a third term. Nkurunziza doesn’t attend, and is represented by the country’s foreign minister, Aime. Rwanda also sends a minister rather than the head of state. The leaders call for the postponement of elections by at least a month and a half. Tanzania’s President Kikwete:

The leaders have been trying to navigate our way so we can help the people of Burundi to land safely under the current circumstances.

4 Sep, 2014

Wins access to ‘spy tapes’

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_77382310_77382306Zille wins a five-year legal battle to obtain the so called “spy tapes”. The phone-taps are the basis of a 2009 decision by prosecutors to drop the charges against Zuma, saying there was political involvement in decision to press charges, just before the election in which he became President. Zille, who asked for the tapes so that the decision can be re-assessed, walks out of the High Court in Pretoria with a “tamper evident security bag” containing transcripts of recordings and a memory stick. Zille:

South Africa’s democracy depends on this case. No-one is above the law.

Zuma denies the charges, insisting he is the victim of a “political conspiracy” hatched by his opponents in the governing ANC to prevent him from becoming president.

7 May, 2014

Re-elected president

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Election results guarantee a second five-year term for Zuma, with the ANC gaining a 62.2% share of the vote according to the national election commission. Leading opposition, Democratic Alliance, has 22.2% of the vote, it’s best result ever; the party said it gained 1.1 million new voters, including 700,000 votes from black South Africans.

8 Oct, 2012

Nkandla residence controversy

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NkandlaZuma faces an official investigation over 238 million rand ($19.3m) renovations of his rural private residence in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal province. Upgrades to the residence include a helipad, underground living quarters with about ten air-conditioned rooms, a medical clinic for the president and his family, houses for security staff, air force and police units, underground parking, playgrounds, and a visitors’ centre. Zuma – who shares the property with his four current wives and their children – previously said he would meet most of the bill, but government documents reveal he will pay 5%. Taxpayers already maintain two state residences in Pretoria and Cape Town. The public protector has received several complaints about irregular expenditure on the residence and has begun gathering information which could lead to a full investigation. The civil society group Corruption Watch has also filed questions to the government.

20 Apr, 2012

Zuma, Ngema marry

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Zuma, Ngema marry imageZuma marries Ngema in a traditional ceremony, known as ‘umgcagco,’ at his rural home. The president’s three existing spouses are among the crowd as he ties the knot with Ngema, a businesswoman with whom he has a seven-year-old son. The couple’s marriage means she will now officially join the presidential household in his home village of Nkandla, where she will live alongside the statesman’s three other wives.

8 Oct, 2010

Confirms he is father of Thandekile Matina Zuma

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Zuma confirms that he has had a child, his 20th, with Sonono Khoza, daughter of his old friend and soccer tycoon Irvin Khoza. The child was born October 8, 2009.

I said during World Aids Day that we must all take personal responsibility for our actions. I have done so…I have done the necessary cultural imperatives in a situation of this nature, for example the formal acknowledgement of paternity and responsibility, including the payment of inhlawulo to the family…The matter is now between the two of us, and culturally, between the Zuma and Khoza families.

He also criticizes the media for naming the child:

Both the Child Care Act and the new Children’s Act also provides for the protection of children from exploitation. The naming of the child’s parents has essentially exposed her to the public, which has serious implications in the long-term for her, and amounts to the exploitation referred to in the Act, because the media is making money out of the matter…The media is also in essence questioning the right of the child to exist and fundamentally, her right to life. It is unfortunate that the matter has been handled in this way. I sincerely hope that the media will protect the rights of children.

4 Jan, 2010

Zuma, Madiba marry

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Zuma Madiba marriage ceremonyZuma marries Thobeka Madiba, at a homestead in rural KwaZulu-Natal province. They were meant to marry in 2008 but the wedding was delayed due to Zuma’s government responsibilities. The ceremony includes a hourlong traditional Zulu wedding dance. Madiba performs a solo dance while holding a spear and a shield to symbolize her acceptance of her new husband. Zuma, wearing a skirt made of animal fur pelts and sporting bright white tennis shoes, then joins the dance. The bride and groom wear matching sneakers. 2000 guests dine on traditional Zulu foods, and attendees are told that more than a dozen sheep, goats and cows have been slaughtered for the feast.

22 Apr, 2009

Elected president

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South Africa’s ruling African National Congress wins the country’s election. The ANC receives 65.9% of the vote, the Democratic Alliance 16.66% and the Congress of the People (COPE) – formed by ANC dissidents – 7.42%. The turnout is 77.30%. but the result falls just short of the two-thirds majority needed to make unchallenged changes to the constitution. Zuma claims victory and the outcome is welcomed by ministers in neighboring Zimbabwe as intensifying pressure on President Robert Mugabe.

5 Jan, 2008

Zuma, Ntuli marry

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Zuma marries Ntuli at his homestead Nkandla, Kwazulu-Natal. Between 400 and 500 guests attend the ceremony, which lasts three hours. Ntuli is the mother of two of Zuma’s children. Some of the guests are dressed in Zulu traditional attire, carrying shields and Knobkerries.

18 Dec, 2007

Elected ANC president

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Zuma is elected president of the African National Congress at the party’s conference in Polokwane. Mbeki receives 1,505 votes to Zuma’s 2,329. As the announcement of each position is announced, thousands of delegates blow whistles, dance on tables and chairs, and sing and cheer—despite being asked to wait until after the announcement before applauding. Later the celebrations continue with fireworks.

8 May, 2006

Rape acquittal

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Zuma is acquitted of raping a 31-year-old family friend on 2 November 2005. In a four-hour ruling broadcast live on radio and television, the judge says the state had not proven the case beyond reasonable doubt. He also refers to evidence given by the defence, suggesting that the complainant has a history of making false accusations of rape.

The complainant was inclined to accuse men of raping her or attempting to rape her

Zuma admitted having had sex with the woman, but insisted it was consensual. The judge says Zuma would not have risked forcing himself on the woman when his own daughter was in the house and police were on guard outside, who would have heard the accused if she had cried out. After the judgement, Zuma addresses a crowd in nearby Beyers Naude Square:

A person who is charged remains innocent until proven otherwise – this is one of the golden rules of our constitution but the press broke this rule. Today the bad dreams have evaporated.

14 Jun, 2005

Dismissed as deputy

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President Mbeki dismisses his deputy Zuma. Mbeki:

In the interest of the honourable deputy president, the government, our young democratic system and our country, it would be best to release the honourable Jacob Zuma from his responsibilities as deputy president of the republic and member of the cabinet.

Zuma:

I believe he has taken this decision not because he believes I am guilty of any crime but because of considerations relating to the constraints within which government operates.

2 Jun, 2005

Advisor found guilty

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Shaik, a financial adviser to Zuma is found guilty on two accounts of corruption and one of fraud. He remains free on bail. The judge compares corruption to a cancer subverting democracy and human rights and rejects the defence lawyer’s plea for clemency because Shaik had fought apartheid.

His corporate empire’s progress and prosperity was plainly linked to the possibility that Jacob Zuma would finally ascend to the highest political office…Far from carrying out the object of [South Africa’s liberation] struggle, this whole saga represents a subversion of it…It was a typical example of a privileged treatment to a selected political figure in a situation redolent with lack of transparency and subversive of administrative fairness and integrity. And that is what the law seeks to punish.