Zuma denies trying to get off charge :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Articles: Zuma denies trying to get off charge

Posted by admin on Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 08:28 AM

FORMER deputy president Jacob Zuma denied yesterday that he asked KwaZulu-Natal finance MEC Zweli Mkhize to try persuade the rape complainant to drop the charge against him.
Ernest Mabuza

Zuma told the Johannesburg High Court that he did not rape the 31-year-old HIV-positive “family friend” at his home in Johannesburg on November 2, and so did not have to instruct anyone to try to persuade the woman to drop the charge. The prosecutor’s line of questioning was to force Zuma to accept that he had asked people to persuade the woman to drop the charge because he also regarded the incident as rape — a move that would clear any element of doubt in the case. During cross-examination, the prosecution relied on telephone records between Zuma, his associates and the complainant’s family to paint a picture of damage control in the aftermath of the alleged rape. The complainant testified earlier that she received calls from Zuma and Mkhize. She also said she met lawyer Yusuf Dockrat, who tried to persuade her not to proceed with the case. Prosecutor Charin de Beer asked Zuma why he did not call the complainant immediately after he found out she had laid a rape charge. Zuma said he became suspicious that there was something behind the charge, and felt he had to be cautious and not call her. He said he called the complainant seven days after the alleged incident. “I felt there would be no problem then if I contacted her by phone,” Zuma said. He also denied he had called the complainant nine times on November 9 in what De Beer described as desperation. “I wanted to tell her that I did not see the need for her to proceed with the case as I did not rape her. It was not because I wanted her to drop the charge, but to remind her of the truth .” De Beer told Zuma that when he called Mkhize on November 6 to inform him about the charge, Mkhize then sent a cellphone text message to the complainant’s mother. Zuma said he told Mkhize about the charge at an African National Congress rally in Newcastle. “I told him about my attempts to meet the complainant and her mother. I was not looking for any assistance from Mkhize.” Zuma also denied he asked Mkhize to broker a settlement with the complainant or her mother. When asked whether former journalist Ranjeni Munusamy was his aide, Zuma denied this, and said she was attached to the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust website. When asked why Munusamy arranged for Dockrat to meet the complainant and her mother, he said he did not know. “I had no contact with Ranjeni. Mkhize told me he would arrange for the complainant’s mother to seek legal advice.” The trial continues.

· 215 Reads ·