President Jacob Zuma could be impeached if he misled Parliament about "Guptagate"

22 January 2015

I will write to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, requesting that she establish an ad hoc committee, in terms of National Assembly Rule 214 (b), to investigate "Guptagate".

The role of President Jacob Zuma and his Cabinet in "Guptagate" should be front-and-centre of the ad hoc committee's investigation, which was never properly probed by the JCPS Task Team.

President Jacob Zuma has denied any prior knowledge of the Gupta's chartered Jet Airways aircraft at AFB Waterkloof on 30 April 2013, which was the proximate cause of the "Guptagate" scandal.

During President's Question Time, on 06 November 2013, President Jacob Zuma, stated: "Honourable Speaker, Honourable Member, no, I had no prior knowledge of, involvement in or communication relating to the landing of a private plane at Air Force Base Waterkloof".

However, his reply is inconsistent with former Minister in the Presidency, Collins Chabane's rather more carefully crafted denial, in a reply to a Parliamentary Question, where he stated: "There was no official communication to The Presidency". 

Moreover, his reply is inconsistent with South African National Defence Union's claim to be in possession of text messages, from former Chief of State Protocol, Bruce Koalane, implicating President Jacob Zuma in organising the landing of the Gupta's chartered aircraft at AFB Waterkloof, which it intends using in civil proceedings on behalf of Lt. Col Christine Anderson.

All this suggests that President Jacob Zuma may well have had prior knowledge of, involvement in, and communication relating to the landing of the Gupta's chartered aircraft at AFB Waterkloof and may therefore have deliberately misled Parliament.

The stakes are high because if it emerges, either as a result of an ad hoc committee investigation, or as a result of civil proceedings, that there is prima facie evidence that President Jacob Zuma deliberately mislead Parliament about his role in the landing of the "Guptagate", he could be impeached on the grounds of serious misconduct under Section 89 of the Constitution. 

In the end, it was a disgrace that Lt. Colonel Christine Anderson, and Lt. Colonel Stefan van Zyl, were effectively "waterboarded" for two years while ministers, who were responsible and should have been held accountable, were let off the hook.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, January 22 2015

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