Pietermaritzburg – Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille on Monday said she was happy that there seems to be progress in ensuring that former President Jacob Zuma had his day in court so that he could answer to the allegations against him.
The former president has been charged, together with French arms company Thales, on counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
De Lille, who was the whistle blower on arms deal-related corruption almost 22 years ago, is the State’s first key witness in the matter and is expected to take the stand next Wednesday after the matter was postponed on Monday.
She said if the country was strong in responding to arms-related corruption in 199, then its democracy would be stronger.
“Instead, what happened in 1999, they shot the messengers and then after the government’s defence of the corruption, it became a free for all.”
De Lille said the arms deal matter was shredded in lies and corruption.
“The way the arms deal was sold to South Africa was that government was going to invest R30 billion and create 160,000 jobs [but] it never materialised.”
Meanwhile, Zuma’s lawyer Advocate Thabani Masuku said his client intended to plead not guilty.
