Zuma in the UAE lthis week. Source: Twitter @thegulftoday.
Zuma Denies Allegation he Took R6 Billion to Dubai for Guptas
The office of President Jacob Zuma has rejected as “preposterous and malicious” an allegation by EFF leader Julius Malema that Zuma carried R6 billion to Dubai for the Gupta family. “Mr Malema’s allegation has no basis in fact,” the Presidency said in an unusual statement posted on Saturday, two days after Malema made the allegation on […]
Zuma in the UAE lthis week. Source: Twitter @thegulftoday.
The office of President Jacob Zuma has rejected as “preposterous and malicious” an allegation by EFF leader Julius Malema that Zuma carried R6 billion to Dubai for the Gupta family.
“Mr Malema’s allegation has no basis in fact,” the Presidency said in an unusual statement posted on Saturday, two days after Malema made the allegation on Thursday after the Constitution Court found that Zuma had failed to protect and uphold and defend the constitution, and had to pay back money owed on upgrades at his Nkandla home.
Zuma recently visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “to strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations between South Africa and the two countries”.
Malema made the allegation at a press conference on Thursday after the ConCourt ruling, saying Zuma and others in the ANC were in thrall of the Gupta family – he used the word Zumbis, which seems to be a concoction of Zuptas and Zombies – and that on Zuma’s recent trip to Dubai he had taken R6 billion for the Zuptas. Why was Zuma on an apparent trip to promote tourism without the tourism minister, he asked.
The presidency said Malema’s allegation were untruthful and defamatory.
In March the Gupta family – coming under increased pressure because of allegations that they had unduly influenced government officials and politicians for favours, based on their close relationship with Zuma – denied reports in the press that they were moving to Dubai.
The last time Zuma reacted to allegations against him in an unusual statement from the presidency was in December 2015 when he tried to quash “malicious rumours” about his relationship with the chairperson of South African Airways, Dudu Myeni, and that they had had a child together.