Finally, Zuma gets his day in court

It’s taken the best part of two decades but, finally, Jacob Zuma got the chance to do yesterday what he swears he has wanted all along – to plead “not guilty” in a court to charges of corruption.

But, as his trial was postponed, yet again, to July, one could be forgiven as viewing yesterday’s proceedings as merely the halfway refreshment table on the Comrades Marathon.

Zuma is accused of, among other things, taking bribes of R500 000 a year from French arms company Thales, which was involved with Schabir Shaik’s Nkobi group and part of a consortium that won a R2.6-billion bid to provide combat suites for new navy frigates.

That was part of broader corruption related to the arms deal which, in hindsight, looks like chicken feed compared to the billions looted under the state capture project – and that continues today.

In particular, the corruption involving the Guptas and their network focused on huge mega-projects, often with foreign connections.

It is, therefore, interesting to wonder whether the arms deal was something which merely whetted the appetites of the looters, as they became aware of the possibilities of huge bribes available from foreign suppliers willing to, and experienced in, extracting money from Third World governments.