A call to Arms

Late last week, our honourable president announced a fresh probe into the Arms Deal. He said that his reasoning was because it was finally time to put the issue to bed. What he failed to mention is that Arms Deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne had applied to the Constitutional Court for a judicial commission of enquiry. If his application had been successful, Zuma would have been forced to set up a commission, and he would not have been able to choose who would head the commission, and what the terms of reference would be.

So, at the last minute, and before the matter could have been referred to the court, he announced that he would open a commission which he would then have control over. He has also said that he is not bound by law to act on the findings of the commission, essentially rendering it worthless. The fact is, BAE and Ferrostaal have openly stated that they gave bribes to ANC officials in order to receive contracts. This is a matter of fact. The only thing left to find out is who received the bribes. I have a sneaking suspicion that Zuma knows who did, and they know that he knows, and there is no way he is going to let them be found out. Because I also have a feeling that these guilty members know a lot about Zuma’s goings on, and will not go down alone.

The one good thing is that Terry Crawford-Browne is not going to let this go. He will fight this until the truth comes out. He has been relentless in his pursuit of the truth and the ANC should be very wary of him. Crawford-Browne is a former executive of Nedbank who has bankrupted himself in the search for truth. So, if he feels that the commission’s findings are not satisfactory, he’s going to continue the fight until he is satisfied.

There is a horrible cliché that says that to make an omelette you have to break some eggs. Jacob Zuma, not known as the most astute citizen of this fine land, needs to realise that if this country is to ever start moving forward, there needs to be some casualties along the way. Those who profited from the Arms Deal, whether or not they are Jacob Zuma supporters, need to be brought to book. The support he will receive from the country as a whole for doing the right thing for a change will far outweigh the backing he gets from a few crooks.


Zuma’s presidency has been characterized by a complete lack of decisiveness and leadership. If he is to remembered in any sort of positive light, and make any meaningful contribution to the future of this country, the time to act is now. As Matlock, the awesome lawyer from the 80’s tv show said- “This time, only the truth will do”.