Former South African leader Jacob Zuma and serving minister Gwede Matashe potentially face graft charges
A South African corruption inquiry investigating allegations of graft during Jacob Zuma’s time in power, has referred the former president and incumbent mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe for criminal investigation.
The inquiry made the recommendation after a three-year investigation into Zuma’s administration, with the latest report focused on allegations of corruption and fraud regarding a privately-owned company, Bosasa.
“The evidence revealed that corruption was Bosasa’s way of doing business,” the inquiry alleged, accusing the company of having “bribed politicians, government officials, President Jacob Zuma and others extensively.”
Zuma is accused by the inquiry of having passed the company confidential information about criminal investigations into Bosasa, helping to hinder criminal prosecutions in return for bribes. If those allegations prove true, it would mean Zuma violated his obligations under the South African constitution.
Mantashe was also referred for criminal investigation, with the inquiry claiming a criminal probe would lead to a corruption case against him.Bosasa reportedly installed security systems at three properties owned by Mantashe at no cost, which, the inquiry claims, was an attempt to build favor with the then-Secretary General of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Mantashe admitted the security systems had been installed but claimed nothing was inappropriate about the arrangement.
Bosasa is currently in voluntary liquidation, after banks closed its accounts over the graft allegations.
Zuma denies any wrongdoing and has refused to cooperate with the inquiry, resulting in him being sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court. He was released on medical parole in September but was later ordered back to prison by the High Court. Zuma is currently appealing the order to return to jail.
The inquiry further called for an investigation into ANC officials who, free of charge, arranged an election “war room” for Bosasa. The ANC has not immediately responded to the recommended investigation.
Yellowstone became the first national park in the U.S. on March 1, 1872, and it helped usher in the broader national park movement. The park stretches into Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
Former presidential candidate calls US arming of Mujahideen in 1980s ‘the model’ for helping Ukraine defeat Russia
Hillary Clinton has likened the Russian military operation in Ukraine to the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, saying a similar outcome might be achieved by helping to arm Kiev’s resistance just like Washington backed Mujahideen fighters against its Cold War rival.
“Remember, the Russians invaded Afghanistan back in 1980 (sic),” the former US presidential candidate and ex-secretary of state said on Monday in an MSNBC interview. “And although no country went in, they certainly had a lot of countries supplying arms and advice and even some advisers to those who were recruited to fight Russia.”
As Clinton noted, the Afghanistan war “didn’t end well” for the Soviet Union, despite its status as a military superpower. “There were other unintended consequences, as we know,” she added with a smile – apparently referring to the fact that arming radical Islamists in Afghanistan gave rise to Al-Qaeda and led to 9/11 attacks in the US – “but the fact is that a very motivated and then funded and armed insurgency basically drove the Russians out of Afghanistan.”
The CIA’s “Operation Cyclone” program funneled billions of dollars in weaponry to Islamist fighters in Afghanistan in the 1980s. In fact, aid to the Mujahideen continued to flow in even after Soviet troops completed their withdrawal in 1989, helping the insurgents to battle Afghan government forces in a civil war.
Clinton, who has long accused Russia of helping Donald Trump steal the 2016 presidential election from her, conceded that the Afghanistan-Ukraine comparison is problematic. For instance, the terrain and urban fighting in Ukraine are nothing like what the Soviets encountered in Afghanistan.
But I think that is the model that people are now looking toward, and if there can be sufficient armaments that get in . . . that can continue to stymie Russia.
Weaponry should be supplied to both Ukrainian government forces and volunteer fighters, Clinton argued. She said arms shipments should be able to get through Ukraine’s borders with some neighboring countries.
“Let’s be clear that Russia has overwhelming military force, but of course, they did in Afghanistan, as well,” Clinton said. She added that, even with ample air power, it took years for Russia to defeat anti-government forces in Syria.
Clinton’s stint as secretary of state had ended by the time Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war in 2015. Also a former senator and first lady, she urged President Joe Biden’s administration to provide sufficient arms to Ukrainian fighters and to “keep tightening the screws” against Russia.
Nairobi, Kenya, Mar 01 (IPS) – Environmental experts gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, have urged African governments to take advantage of ‘circular plastic opportunities’ to lower greenhouse gas emissions and stop environmental degradation. They were speaking to IPS on the sidelines of the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).
