Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has denied his involvement in the Jacob Zuma corruption case less than two weeks before the country’s general elections.”I initially decided not to comment about this unfounded speculation as I thought that no one would seek to engage in a public discussion about a matter as serious as this, without the necessary information which would enable the nation to arrive at informed and objective conclusions (…) “Over the years, we have consistently assured the nation that at no point did the President of the Republic or any member of the executive, instructed, encouraged, aided or sanctioned by the President, interfere in the case of Jacob Zuma (…) Personally, I wish to reiterate that at no stage did I interfere or contemplate interfering in the case” He also said that “on 13 January 2009, a day after the Supreme Court of Appeal gave its judgement in the matter between the NDPP and Zuma”, he observed that “the unacceptable practice of propagation of deliberate falsehoods to attain various objectives is becoming entrenched in our country (…) It seems that going forward, our society will have to become extra vigilant about this highly offensive practice, fully conscious of the fact that it can have and has serious implications, not least concerning the integrity or lack thereof, of state institutions, and the impact of this on the lives of ordinary people”. Mbeki said in a statement on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) dropped its eight-year case against Zuma.
