Zuma’s son defends father, accuses prosecutors of witch hun

A son of former South African president Jacob Zuma has accused prosecutors and the judiciary of “witch hunt” against his father, who is dogged by legal woes from his tenure as head of state.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) last week confirmed that Zuma would face old charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering, noting that the decision to throw out the charges nearly a decade ago was faulty.

The charges relate to an arms deal in the 1990s, when Zuma was deputy president.

Edward Zuma in a statement said the reinstatement of the charges against his father was part of a plot to tarnish the latter’s name.

Zuma himself has denied any wrongdoing.

His son said in a statement that the NPA was being used to “clamp down on those who speak the truth to white monopoly capital”.

He said the courts were being used to malign his father and that the campaign “isn’t going to stop any time soon”.

Zuma, 75, resigned as president on February 14 after he was ordered to do so by his African National Congress party. He was replaced by his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who has pledged a robust campaign against corruption in South Africa.