It seems like just yesterday we were all sporting hangovers and wondering why we made such lofty New Year’s resolutions.

Join the gym, eat healthier and learn another language – oh how we laughed.

But now all of a sudden it’s June, and what a year it has been for the man who sits atop his Nkandla throne. Controversy after controversy, somehow it never seems to stop him from having a massive laugh at our expense in parliament.

There are five scandals that have stood out this year for Number One, yet still the show goes on.

BusinessTech have compiled a great summary, so let’s get the ball rolling on this one:

Constitutional court ruling on Nkandla

The bullet: President Zuma was found by the Constitutional Court to have violated the country’s constitution by failing to act on a Public Protector report on his Nkandla homestead.

The gun: The Public Protector’s report found that the president had unduly benefited from security upgrades made to his private home, and ordered that he pay back a portion of the money.

The dodge: Following the court ruling, the president apologised, and agreed to pay back some of the money. The ANC has since accepted the president’s apology and called the country’s reaction to the ruling over-stated, generally downplaying its significance.

Charges of corruption

The bullet: President Zuma could potentially face 783 charges of corruption, which were dropped “irrationally” in 2009 before he became president.

The gun: The North Gauteng High Court recently ruled that the corruption charges faced by Zuma in 2009 were dropped irrationally by the former head of the National Prosecuting Authority. The court ruled that these charges should be reinstated.

The dodge: The National Prosecuting Authority as well as the president have applied for leave to appeal the High Court Ruling, effectively delaying any closure on the matter. The president could still face the charges, but the matter is on hold for now.

State capture

The bullet: President Zuma’s friends, the Gupta family, have been linked to a number of high-level state contracts, business deals and government officials, which tie the president up in a conspiracy of state capture.

The gun: Deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas came forward in February claiming that he was approached by the Gupta family – personal and business friends of Zuma’s – and offered him the position of finance minister. Other government officials told a similar tale, pointing to widespread state capture involving the family through the president.

The dodge: An internal investigation by the ANC turned up no leads, with only one official coming forward with a written statement on the matter. In speeches, Zuma has shrugged off the term “state capture” as an overreaction – while the Guptas have effectively fled the country, distancing themselves from the president.

NeneGate

The bullet: Zuma is accused of trying to capture complete control of the Treasury through cadre deployment.

The gun: On 9 December 2015, Zuma unexpectedly fired former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, and replaced him with the then-unknown Des van Rooyen. This caused the markets to crash, wiping as much as R500 billion from the economy, forcing the president to re-instate Pravin Gordhan into the role. The reasons Zuma gave for firing Nene proved to be untrue, months later.

The dodge: The markets ultimately recovered from the dip, and Nene moved on to other jobs in the private sector. Zuma has never accounted for his actions beyond stating that Van Rooyen was the best person for the job – a position he holds to this day.

Zuma vs Gordhan

The bullet: Political insiders, speaking to the media, have painted a picture of a war brewing behind the scenes between Zuma and finance minister Pravin Gordhan. It is alleged that Zuma, through state departments, is trying to force Gordhan out.

The gun: The narrative stems from an investigation initiated by Zuma’s ally and head of SARS, Tom Monyane, into the minister and other former SARS officials around a so-called “rogue spy unit” which was allegedly used to spy on high profile citizens. The Hawks have since “harassed” the minister, with speculative reports saying the minister was facing arrest.

The dodge: All parties mentioned in the conspiracy – the NPA, the Hawks and the presidency – have all issued statements denying everything, assuring the country that no one is out to get Gordhan. The ANC has now spun the tale, with Mantashe saying it is the media and South African citizens who are making the finance minister vulnerable by treating him as an institution, rather than a civil servant.

With the 2016 local elections around the corner, it remains to be seen whether these scandals will affect results at the polls.

There’s an old saying that goes ‘fool me once, shame on you – fool me twice, shame on me’.

Zuma may have fooled a few of us more than once, but here’s hoping this time voters can see through the bluster and hold the president accountable for his actions.

[source:businesstech]

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