Do the right thing, Mr President

As someone who was trained by the Soviets in the arts of military strategy and espionage, Jacob Zuma will have realised that he is now fighting a rearguard action to preserve his positions as president of the country and leader of the ANC.

His political bunker is becoming increasingly vulnerable after the latest salvo from the leaked Gupta e-mails came crashing in yesterday. The Sunday Times claimed the Guptas bought Zuma a R330 million retirement home in an exclusive residential estate in Dubai.

It was reported earlier that the family had bought Zuma’s son, Duduzane, an R18 million apartment in Dubai and that Zuma himself had approached the Emirate for residency. Zuma’s office has denied the latest story, calling it “a fabrication”.

But a “deny, deny, deny” strategy is no longer enough to stem suspicions about Zuma and his family’s relationship with the Guptas or to ward off the conclusion that, under his watch, the South African state has been well and truly captured.

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga made an excellent point when he told us: “The e-mails are so compelling, the knowledge that we have is such that we can’t wait for October 8 (the date the commission of inquiry kicks off).

“If we wait, it’s equivalent to saying let me wait for crime to happen before I appoint a police chief.”

Mathekga said he believed Zuma had no intention of being called to account – and we have to agree with him.

It seems as though Zuma intends to brazen it out until the ANC’s December elective conference, where he can hand over to his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma … and allow the whole kleptocratic edifice to continue and grow.

His allies are gearing up for a fight that could be bloody (and in the real sense, too) and divisive.

Mr Zuma, don’t pull the country down in tatters around you. Do the right thing.