News24

Former president Jacob Zuma made another revelation in an address to his supporters on Friday, saying he had survived several assassination attempts on the presidential jet, Inkwazi.

On Monday, Zuma, testifying before the commission of inquiry into state capture, said numerous attempts had been made to poison him in early 2019 as well as to kill him at a stadium in KwaZulu-Natal.

He told his supporters his enemies had planted devices on Inkwazi to kill him.

“On the plane that I had been using, many things were found on that plane that were aimed to get rid of me. Not one, many. At the right moment, I will give you those items that were found in order that I should not reach my destination.”

Zuma lashed out at his detractors, accusing former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela of enhancing a narrative of him being the architect of state capture to punish him.

He said even though he did not ask for upgrades to his homestead in Nkandla, Mandonsela felt the need to make a ruling that he should pay for it.

“She just tried to decorate her ideas in order to enhance the narrative that Zuma is a corrupt man. It is the same Public Protector who was made to investigate the claim that there was corruption between the Gupta family and Zuma.

“She said she had no money to investigate this particular matter. Those who handle the money found the money that is not there to give her, even went on short cuts so that she do this investigation.”

The minister of finance at the time was current Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan who fell out of favour with Zuma in his later years as president. Gordhan was reshuffled three times and finally axed by Zuma during his last months in power.

Zuma said the name of the commission was clearly crafted by Madonsela to enhance a narrative and to exaggerate the matter.

“That narrative is a continuation of what happened in 1990. She wouldn’t tell me she did not understand what a state is. She knows but deliberately created an impression that an entire state is captured…

“It is not an innocent name, it was thought out like the phrase ‘Secured in comfort’ when there was no comfort. There are people in those three organisations who said Zuma must be dealt with, there are people who have been deployed by those organisation who are behind the campaign to get rid of Zuma.”

He then took aim at former public service and administration minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi who had given testimony at the commission that Zuma had auctioned off the country to the Gupta family, calling this claim silliness.

Zuma told the commission Ramatlhodi had worked with apartheid intelligence services as a spy.

He said the ANC should ask itself who had sold out Chris Hani to the “Boers”.

“Who had sold Chris Hani? Maybe one day the question will be answered.”

Zuma warned his detractors to think twice before speaking out against him, threatening he would reveal their secrets.

“Some say this old man is angry. I’m not angry. All I’m saying, people must be very careful. When I say I will tell things about them they think I don’t know, I mean it. That is why I am asking: Who gave information about comrade Chris Hani’s house?”

He denied allegations he was influential in the Gupta jet landing at Waterkloof air base, saying he “knew nothing about it but it has been made my luggage”.