PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa: South Africa’s scandal-plagued former president Jacob Zuma will face a corruption trial, a court ruled Friday, in one of multiple alleged graft cases over his long political career.
The country’s High Court unanimously dismissed Zuma’s bid for a permanent stay of prosecution over 16 counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal dating back to before he took office in 2009.
Zuma, who has been accused of taking bribes from French defense company Thales, sought in March to have the case dropped.
He maintained the case was politically-motivated and years of delay would result in an unfair trial.
But the trial is now scheduled to begin on Tuesday after High Court Judge Bhekisisa Mnguni ruled that Zuma’s “application for the permanent stay is dismissed with costs.”
The judge agreed with the prosecution that parts of Zuma’s arguments to have the case thrown out were “scandalous and or vexatious.”
The National Prosecutions Authority’s spokeswoman Natasha Kara told AFP “the matter has been set down for trial from the 15th to the 18th of October.”
Both Zuma and Thales have denied any wrongdoing, and the former president could still appeal the ruling, experts have suggested.
But if it goes ahead, it would be the first time the former leader has stood trial on corruption charges, despite a serious of graft allegations.
State lawyer Wim Trengove had pushed for prosecution arguing that if Zuma did not face trial it gave the impression that he had received special treatment “because he is an important and a powerful man.”
He also said Zuma’s claims that he was a victim of a “witch hunt” were unfounded.
Zuma, who was forced to resign last year over multiple graft allegations, is alleged to have taken the bribes during his time as a provincial economy minister and later as deputy president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the 1990s.
The charges were first brought against Zuma in 2005. They were dropped by prosecutors in 2009, shortly before Zuma became president, and reinstated in 2016.
Thales said in a statement that it “notes the decision of the High Court” and was assessing its legal options.
Political analyst Xolani Dube warned that Zuma could lodge an “urgent” appeal.
“There are also other avenues that the man might still use... he can still appeal so it’s still going to drag,” Dube told AFP, adding that the country may “not yet see him facing his alleged deeds.”
Zuma, 77, claimed last year that he was so broke that he had to sell his socks to raise legal fees, after another court ruled he should front the bills.
The ANC party forced him to resign last year over a separate corruption scandal centered around the wealthy Gupta business family, who won lucrative contracts with state companies and allegedly held sway over his choice of cabinet ministers.
The court’s ruling on Friday came just a day after the US Treasury slapped sanctions on the three Indian-born Gupta brothers, calling them a “significant corruption network” that dispersed bribes and misappropriated millions in state funds.
Zuma also appeared before a judicial inquiry in July that is probing allegations he organized a systematic plunder of government coffers in a scandal known as “state capture.”
A few days later he pulled out of the inquiry saying that he had been “treated as someone who was accused.” But he later agreed to return at a future date.
South Africa ex-leader Zuma to face corruption trial
South Africa ex-leader Zuma to face corruption trial
- The country’s High Court unanimously dismissed Zuma’s bid for a permanent stay of prosecution over 16 counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering
- Zuma, who has been accused of taking bribes from French defense company Thales, sought in March to have the case dropped
Trump’s failed bid to elevate an Arab American ally shows cracks in his political coalition
- “President Trump has an incredible relationships with Arab leaders around the world,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement
WASHINGTON: When Donald Trump won his comeback campaign, he credited the mayor of a small Detroit suburb with helping him make inroads with Michigan’s Arab American community. As a reward, Trump nominated Amer Ghalib to serve as US ambassador to Kuwait.
But Ghalib is not on his way to the oil-rich nation in the Arabian Gulf. Instead, he is still in Hamtramck, population 30,000, after his nomination stalled because of opposition from Trump’s fellow Republicans.
It’s not clear whether the White House will submit Ghalib’s name again, and he said it does not matter either way: “I’m not interested in it anymore.”
The nomination’s unraveling has exacerbated tensions between Republicans and an Arab American community that, dissatisfied with Democratic President Joe Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza, helped send Trump back to the White House. Although Trump was successful in 2024, a key constituency may not be there for his party in the November midterm elections, when control of Congress is up for grabs.
“It’s hard for me to try and convince the community to vote again Republican in 2026 and 2028 with this kind of an atmosphere,” said Bishara Bahbah, who chaired Arab Americans for Trump.
Opposition on Capitol Hill
At the last rally of his campaign, in the predawn hours before polls opened, Trump embraced Ghalib on a Michigan stage. He called the mayor “one of the greatest men in your state.” It was a long way from eight years earlier, when Trump campaigned on a promise to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Not only did Trump win Michigan, he earned strong support from Arab Americans. He even won Dearborn, where nearly half the city’s roughly 110,000 residents are of Arab descent.
But after Trump selected Ghalib for the diplomatic post, the reception on Capitol Hill was markedly colder.
“Your long-standing views are directly contrary to the views and positions of President Trump and to the position of the United States,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a hearing last year. “I for one, I’m not going to be able to support your confirmation.”
Cruz was joined by senators from both parties in questioning Ghalib about past comments and social media activity, including some that were labeled as antisemitic. Asked about “liking” a Facebook comment comparing Jewish people to monkeys, Ghalib said he had a “bad habit” of acknowledging nearly every response on his posts but stressed that he disagreed with the statement.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked Ghalib about a previous comment that allegations of sexual violence during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas against Israel were untrue. Ghalib said he condemned all abuses but claimed that he had not seen the evidence himself.
He drew further scrutiny for describing former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as a martyr.
While no vote was taken after the hearing, the Republican opposition put Ghalib’s nomination on a near-certain path to failure.
“President Trump has an incredible relationships with Arab leaders around the world,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. She added that he “continues to deliver on the promises he made to Arab Americans and all communities by cooling inflation, securing the border, and restoring peace through strength.”
’Widespread disappointment’
Another former mayor who helped Trump with the Arab American community, Bill Bazzi of Dearborn Heights, had more luck than Ghalib. He was sworn in as US ambassador to Tunisia in October.
To some critics, the administration is sidelining Arab American voices after highlighting them during the campaign.
Bahbah said he recently spent more than a week in Michigan absorbing a sense of “widespread disappointment.”
“First of all, many of the promises that were made to the community have not been fulfilled. That’s what I’m told,” he said. “Secondly, the whole issue of immigration and visas is really rattling the community. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is rattling the community, even those with citizenships.”
To top it off, Bahbah said, people feel that “grocery bills are much higher than they used to be.”
Many leaders in Michigan’s Arab American community emphasized that Trump’s success had less to do with support for the Republican candidate than anger at Biden.
But the reality of Trump’s second term has been more complicated than some expected. An agreement intended to stop the war in Gaza has brought mixed reactions because it “seems to be a one-sided ceasefire,” said Bahbah. He also said immigration enforcement has taken a toll in Arab American communities.
“People are terrorized,” Bahbah said. “They’re afraid.”
“This is not what the community voted for,” he added.
A splintering coalition
Ghalib emphasized that he is not upset with the president, saying “he was loyal and supportive.”
But he said “those who opposed me for nonsense reasons have made the community upset, and they will have to work hard to restore their relationship with the community.”
Ghalib’s criticism of Republicans reflects the fragility of the coalition Trump assembled in 2024. Not only did he improve his standing with Arab Americans, he also increased his share of Black and Latino voters.
But with dissatisfaction on the rise, sustaining that support is proving difficult.
Osama Siblani, editor of The Arab American News in Dearborn, said he does not believe that Trump’s success in 2024 will be repeated.
“He has no support in this community with or without Ghalib,” Siblani said.
