South Africans wary as ex-president appeals for public donations

JOHANNESBURG

South Africans expressed mixed reactions Wednesday after the foundation of former President Jacob Zuma asked them to make donations to help him cover the costs of a series of legal battles.

"We humbly request for donations support to help cover the legal fees of our patron," the Jacob Zuma Foundation said in a flyer it shared on Twitter.

“Why does he want to milk the poor completely of their hard-earned cash? It’s actually a shame that some people have completely lost any decency or fear of God,” Mustafa Mheta, a senior researcher at the Media Review Network, a Johannesburg-based think tank, told Anadolu Agency.

Mheta said he does not think South Africans will help Zuma, a man whom he says stole from them.

“The only people who will assist him will be those who benefited from his corrupt ways,” he added.

A number of Twitter users also weighed in on the matter, some questioning whether Zuma was indeed broke, while his supporters pledged to contribute irrespective of the former president’s financial situation.

“Those of us who want to donate towards President Zuma’s legal fees will donate. There’s no need to debate this. If you can’t or don’t want to donate, please don’t discourage those who are willing to donate,” Twitter user @khanyizama wrote.

@JusCallMeWill said Zuma cannot be broke unless he sells part of his multi-million rand home.

“If Zuma hasn't sold part of his house at Nkandla, he is not broke yet. Stop being sympathetic to people who have everything they need but donating your money,” Will wrote on Twitter.

Zuma, 79, currently serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, was last week taken to a private hospital outside the prison to undergo surgery.

His jailing in July led to riots and looting which cost 300 lives and billions of dollars in losses.

Zuma resigned as president in 2018 amid pressure from his own ruling African National Congress (ANC) party over claims of corruption and other offences after serving nearly a decade in office.

He also faces 18 charges, including for corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and racketeering linked to a $2.5 billion arms deal in the late 1990s.

He is jointly accused with French arms firm Thales. Both Zuma and Thales have denied any wrongdoing.

Earlier this year, the state attorney told the court that Zuma spent 18 million rand (around $1.2 million) of taxpayers’ money on fighting the arms deal-linked corruption case against him. The state now wants him to pay it back.