Zuma’s son hits out at ‘cowards’

SHAIN GERMANER

President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane, has laid down a challenge to the “faceless cowards” trying to attack his father by linking him to multibillion-rand tenders.

Speaking out for the first time, Duduzane denied he was a shareholder in a multibillion-rand government project. A weekend newspaper report claimed Duduzane Zuma, alongside business tycoon Rajesh Gupta, was a director and shareholder in a deal with China Railway Construction Corporation, the company awarded the tender for a R550 billion local railway infrastructure project.

However, in an interview yesterday, the president’s son denied these claims, saying he was often the target of those who wish to discredit his father.

“At some point I have to believe that there’s some sort of political agenda at play. I mean, I don’t want to get involved in politics. I’m a businessman, but this has got absolutely nothing to do with me,” he told e.tv news.

“But I’m not going to take it lying down. I believe in fighting my own battles. In this case, unfortunately, I can’t ignore it. This is my father that they’re targeting,” he added.

The denial comes after UDM president Bantu Holomisa called on the Zuma family to “immediately withdraw from all business contracts that relate in any way to government business as such dealings constitute a conflict of interest”.

It was at the UDM meeting on Sunday that Holomisa expressed his dismay at the reports of the tender dealings.

“This sends the wrong message, it compromises the presi-dent and the country, and puts South Africa in the same league as those presidents and countries in northern Africa that have recently been subjected to popular revolt,” he said.

The weekend reports claimed that Menzi Mbatha, a director of Afripalm Horizons, confirmed Gupta’s and Duduzane’s company, Mabengele Investments, would have shares in the multibillion-rand deal.

The deal, between the China Railway Construction Corporation and South African investment company Afripalm Horizon, would focus on developing opportunities for infrastructure, such as railways, roads, ports, electricity and real estate in South Africa.

“I understand that the target is my father. I’m just the conduit in this case. If they want to bring it that way, then that’s the way that we’re going to have to take it.

“These faceless cowards that are sitting in the background pushing all sorts of information forward, they need to come out into the open. We need to see who we’re dealing with,” said Duduzane.

The transport department has denied that it was about to award any lucrative railway tenders to Duduzane.