SA’s political poisonings ‘veiled in secrecy and mystery’

While South Africa has seen several high-profile cases of leaders claiming to have been poisoned over the years, there has been a great deal of ambiguity on these incidents, says academic and author Imraan Coovadia.

Over the weekend, Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini dismissed claims by his traditional prime minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi that he was in eSwatini for medical treatment.

This fuelled rumours that he was poisoned.

Coovadia, author of The Poisoners: On South Africa’s Toxic Past, said there was “always no hard evidence” that leaders were harmed by poison.

ALSO READ: KZN government to fork out more to take care of Zulu king’s needs

While Misuzulu said he was in eSwatini on a scheduled visit, Buthelezi claimed in a statement that the king was unwell.

“It is with great concern that I have received news from HRH Prince Vumile, brother to His Majesty King Mswati Ill, that His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is being treated in a hospital in Eswatini, having taken ill earlier today,” it stated.

“I am informed that His Majesty’s senior Induna, Mr Xaba, who stayed with the king, passed on quite suddenly and there are suspicions that he was poisoned. When His Majesty began to feel unwell, he suspected that he too may have been poisoned.”

Reassuring the nation that Misuzulu was “in perfect health”, his spokesperson Prince Afrika Zulu, said: “His Majesty wishes to once again reassure the nation that he remains in perfect health and is not currently admitted to hospital.

“It appears that there is an orchestrated agenda and a desperate narrative to communicate defamatory and baseless claims of his Majesty’s ill-health.”

High profile poisonings

Coovadia said there were many cases in which high-profile members of South African society “have claimed to be poisoned – from (former president) Jacob Zuma, (former deputy president) David Mabuza, (former Eskom group CEO) Andre de Ruyter…”

He added: “There is almost always a great deal of ambiguity around these cases, with almost no hard evidence existing, backed by medical records – pointing to any of these men having been poisoned.

“My guess is that they are interpreting some physical symptoms as an expression of secret hostility towards them. It is also possible that De Ruyter and the king were poisoned, but we should keep this in mind.

RELATED: André de Ruyter assassination attempt – Cyanide ‘would not lead to instant death’

“We are also a country with a high level of murderousness, so it is not impossible that people are exploiting the situation.”

On why, in most cases, the “poisoned” sought treatment in other countries, Coovadia said: “They have sought treatment in different countries, especially Russia.

“This may be because they distrust every hospital in South Africa. But if somebody is that distrustful of their own people, should they be in a position of power?

“It is more likely that the medical establishments in other countries, especially in Russia, are corrupt and willing to tell South Africans what they want to hear about their conditions.”

Secrecy, mystery

Analyst Howard Feldman said political poisoning in SA was “veiled in secrecy and mystery”.

He said: “It is often alleged and more often unproven. We have seen this with Zuma, who claimed to have been poisoned by one of his wives, and more recently De Ruyter, who claimed that his coffee was poisoned.

“We have seen some people leaving the country to places like Russia for treatment.

“Whereas we cannot say for certain that they were not poisoned, the lack of real information is of concern.”

He said political assassinations were “most certainly a worrying trend in South Africa”.

“But I remain sceptical in the absence of real information – how much of a part these alleged poisoning incidents exist in our political landscape,” added Feldman.

NOW READ: Oscar Mabuyane rejects claims he was poisoned at ANC Eastern Cape conference