Duduzane Zuma in court on 20 June 2019. Picture: Michel Bega
Duduzane Zuma, the son of former president Jacob Zuma, has shed light on some of controversial incidents in his business career.
Saying that he is no longer in business with the now infamous Gupta brothers, Zuma added that he was ‘basically forced’ to move to Dubai.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Thursday morning, Zuma, who sat down with presenter Xoli Mngambi and politics editor Sbu Ngalwa, also insisted that his father had been poisoned.
“I was doing my business calmly as you saw, there’s a lot of media coverage that came on myself, my associates and my family on business dealings and that led to subsequent actions from certain institutions that basically forced me to make a move.”
Zuma said he was “excluded from the financial system in the way of bank accounts” and that he is still “financially inactive” in South Africa.
He said it first happened in December 2015 and was why he left South Africa.
But Zuma said this, however, afforded him the opportunity to form new relationships and explore different ventures as part of a “new chapter” in his life.
He promptly confirmed that he is no longer doing business with the infamous Gupta brothers.
“As you know, they’re living elsewhere in the world.”
When asked what Zuma was doing in the United Arab Emirates, he said he was “doing my own thing.”
“The past five years, especially the last two years, has been a time of reflection for everybody. We all grow, we learn from our experiences and it’s just a decision that I decided to make,” when asked why he no longer has business ties with the Guptas.
When asked for more details on his stance that his father was poisoned, despite the ruling by the public prosecutor finding no evidence he was poisoned, Zuma maintained that “it’s a fact, there’s no denying, for any judge, anyone out there”.
“I was there and my father was on his death bed. That’s a fact.”
And, according to Zuma, the effects of the incident are visible.
The trip they embarked on “to save his life” was not “for kicks”, he continued, saying “people need to speak more responsibly when it comes to these matters”.
Zuma then divulged his former fatherly relationship with deputy president David Mabuza.
He said he felt betrayed by him, having frequently engaged with him, seeing him when he needed to “and that stops – that’s a problem to me. It speaks about a relationship that is not two-way.”
He said he and many others regarded Mabuza as “an elder” and father.
“There’s been a lot of questionable things that have happened and as a man, I can’t accept it. He’s got his views, I’ve got mine.”
He said the relationship between him and Mabuza is now a “disappointment” to him.
Zuma was tight-lipped on his current ventures in Dubai, simply responding, “stay tuned, you will see”.
He even alluded to getting involved in politics, telling Mngambi and Ngalwa that “you may just see my face on the ballot paper in 2024”.
(Compiled by Nica Richards)
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
