Zuma's Law-Breaking: A Comprehensive Overview

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been embroiled in various legal controversies, sparking debates about the rule of law and accountability in the country. Zuma, who served as president from 2009 to 2018, has faced allegations of corruption, abuse of power, and contempt of court.

One notable case involves the Constitutional Court's ruling in the Nkandla homestead case, where Zuma was found to have improperly benefited from state expenditure on upgrades to his private residence. This case sparked public disquiet and highlighted the tension between Zuma's actions and the constitutional vision of accountability and the rule of law.

Zuma has also been implicated in a multibillion-dollar arms deal with French company Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) in 1999, resulting in multiple counts of corruption charges. He is accused of taking bribes to facilitate the deal and has been battling these charges for years, with numerous dismissals and reinstatements.

Additionally, Zuma was convicted of contempt of court in 2021 for refusing to testify before the Zondo Commission, an inquiry into allegations of government graft during his presidency. This conviction led to a 15-month prison sentence, which sparked violent riots and underscored his continued influence in certain areas.

Zuma has consistently denied any wrongdoing and portrayed himself as a victim of character assassination and political conspiracies. He has also sought to privately prosecute current President Cyril Ramaphosa over the alleged leaking of his medical records.

The legal battles surrounding Zuma have had a significant impact on South African politics, with analysts viewing them as a test of the country's commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law.

Zuma was charged with contempt of court for failing to comply with a court order

Former South African president Jacob Zuma has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. One notable incident involves Zuma being charged with contempt of court for failing to comply with a court order. This took place in February 2021, when Zuma was summoned to appear before the Commission on specific dates but failed to do so, despite a court order compelling him to comply. As a result of his non-compliance, Zuma was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment.

The full story goes as follows: in December 2020, the commission issued summonses for Zuma to appear before it in the weeks of 18 January and 15 February 2021. When Zuma did not comply with the February summons, the commission approached the Constitutional Court. The Court ordered Zuma to comply with the summonses, but he still refused to appear. This led to the commission asking the Court to sentence Zuma to two years' imprisonment for contempt of court.

The majority convicted Zuma of contempt, and he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was also ordered to turn himself in to the South African Police Service within five days, failing which the police were authorised to deliver him to a correctional centre to serve his sentence. Zuma was found guilty of failing to comply with the order made by the Court in the case of Secretary of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State v Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma.

In addition to the contempt of court charges, Zuma has faced other legal troubles. He has been accused of holding more than $500,000 in US currency at his ranch, money that was stolen in a robbery in 2020. There have also been questions surrounding whether Zuma broke his oath of office by disregarding remedial action taken against him by the public protector and failing to assist and protect the public protector as required by his constitutional obligations.

Zuma was charged with corruption in relation to a 1999 arms deal

Former South African President Jacob Zuma was charged with corruption in relation to a 1999 arms deal. The deal was signed by the newly democratic South African government, which decided its military needed an overhaul. The African National Congress (ANC) government signed contracts totalling 30 billion rand (approximately $5 billion or £3 billion) with companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Britain, France, and South Africa. The deal was controversial, even before the allegations of corruption were made, as South Africa spent billions of dollars on military equipment while millions of its citizens lived in poverty.

Zuma was first charged in relation to the arms deal in 2005. However, a trial never took place due to numerous legal challenges, technicalities, and support from a strong faction within the ANC. The charges were dropped in 2009, weeks before Zuma became president. However, in 2016, the High Court ruled that Zuma should face charges, and in 2017, the Supreme Court backed that ruling. Zuma was charged with corruption in April 2018, two months after resigning as president.

Zuma is accused of receiving bribes from a French arms firm, Thales, via his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik. Shaik was jailed for 15 years in 2005 for soliciting a bribe on behalf of Zuma from Thales. Zuma is alleged to have taken bribes while he was a political figure on the rise in the late 1990s and 2000s, although this was before he became president in 2009. He is accused of accepting 500,000 rand ($34,000) annually from Thales from 1999 onwards as a bribe, in exchange for protecting the company from an investigation into the arms deal.

Zuma pleaded not guilty when the trial began in May 2021. As of May 2024, the trial was scheduled to resume in April 2025.

Zuma was accused of taking bribes while a political figure on the rise

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been accused of taking bribes while he was a political figure on the rise in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before he became president in 2009. Zuma was charged with multiple counts of corruption, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed that the trial was politically motivated.

The charges relate to the period when Zuma was deputy president of South Africa, from 1999 to 2005. Zuma is accused of receiving bribes from various sources, including French arms company Thales, between 1995 and 2005. During this time, he progressed from a provincial politician to deputy president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party and then deputy president of the country.

Prosecutors alleged that Zuma received bribes from Thales in exchange for political protection and ensuring that there was no investigation into a major arms deal the company secured with the South African government in 1999. Zuma is also accused of taking bribes from logistics firm Bosasa, run by the Watson family. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

Zuma was first implicated in the arms deal scandal in 2005 and was fired as deputy president as a result. However, the charges were dropped and reinstated multiple times over the next 13 years amid allegations of political interference. Zuma revived his political career and became president of South Africa in 2009, just four years after being dismissed as deputy president.

In addition to the arms deal scandal, Zuma has also been accused of overseeing a web of corruption during his term as president. He has refused to testify at a separate judicial inquiry into these allegations, leading the judge to ask a court to send him to jail for two years for contempt of court.

Zuma was found to have improperly benefited from state expenditure on upgrades to his Nkandla homestead

In 2014, the Public Protector found that Zuma had improperly benefited from state expenditure on upgrades to his Nkandla homestead. The Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, found that the cost of the upgrades had escalated to R215 million, with a further R31 million in works outstanding, and that, contrary to the government's claims, many of the state-funded improvements had exceeded Zuma's security needs as president. These included a swimming pool (officially a firepool), cattle kraal, marquee area, and new houses for relatives. It recommended that Zuma should repay the state, and added that Zuma had violated the government's code of ethics on two counts: failing to protect state resources, and misleading Parliament by telling it in November 2012 that the buildings and rooms had been "built by ourselves as a family and not by the government".

Madonsela's final report, titled "Secure in Comfort", was released on 19 March 2014, shortly before Zuma's reelection, and mirrored the provisional report in its substantive aspects. In both the provisional and the final report, Madonsela found that Zuma had benefited unduly from the R246 million the state had spent on the upgrades.

In March 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma had failed to uphold the Constitution, leading to calls for his resignation and a failed impeachment attempt in the National Assembly. The court ordered the National Treasury to determine the amount that Zuma must pay back and ordered Zuma to do so within 45 days of the court's approval of the National Treasury report. Complying with the Court's directive that the amount should be paid within 45 days of its approval by the Court, Zuma repaid the full amount in September 2016. However, he financed the repayment using a R7.8 million loan from VBS Mutual Bank, and allegedly defaulted on his repayments of the bond in August 2018.

Zuma was accused of allowing cronies to plunder state resources and influence government appointments

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been accused of allowing his cronies to plunder state resources and influence senior government appointments during his nine years in power. Zuma has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating that the allegations against him are politically motivated.

Zuma was found to have allowed a family of Indian businessmen, the Guptas, to enrol him in a huge looting plot. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who led a years-long inquiry into corruption under Zuma's rule, found that Zuma's character was such that the Guptas could use him against the people. Zuma was also found to have stacked the management of Eskom, the state-owned power utility, with stooges identified by the Guptas. This included making unlawful payments to McKinsey, the management consulting firm, and coal deliveries that violated Eskom's regulations.

The Guptas, who have denied any wrongdoing, left South Africa for Dubai shortly after Zuma was forced to resign in 2018. Zuma's defiance of a court order to appear before the inquiry resulted in a 15-month prison sentence. His jailing triggered the worst violence since the end of apartheid, with more than 300 people killed. He was later released on medical grounds.

Zuma was also accused of corruption in relation to a multibillion-dollar arms deal that South Africa signed in 1999 with French company Thales, then known as Thomson-CSF. He is accused of taking hundreds of bribes to help Thales secure the deal and faces at least 15 years in jail. Zuma was first implicated 20 years ago, but the charges against him were dropped and reinstated multiple times amid allegations of political interference.

In addition to these allegations, Zuma was also found by the Constitutional Court to have failed to uphold the Constitution. This was in relation to his refusal to pay for upgrades to his Nkandla homestead that were deemed to have improperly benefited him.

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