Thabo Mbeki Foundation ‘vindicated’ by spy-tapes appeal ruling

Former President Thabo Mbeki’s Foundation (TMF) says it feels vindicated over Friday’s judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) which dismissed an appeal by President Jacob Zuma and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the spy tapes saga.

Zuma and the NPA asked for leave to appeal a ruling of the Pretoria High Court in April last year, which overturned the 2009 decision by the NPA’s former acting head Mokotedi Mpshe to discontinue the corruption case against Zuma on the basis of irrationality.

The TMF says it hopes the SCA judgment will bring to finality the matter which has caused the country undue and unnecessary strain for more than a decade and a half.

“As we welcome‚ once again‚ the formal vindication of our Patron‚ as the TMF however we derive no joy‚ due to immense damage this case has caused to our body politic and our country’s institutions‚ a phenomenon which continues unabated and will take many years to restore‚” the TMF said in a statement on Sunday.

The foundation urged the NPA to act speedily and bring finalisation to the corruption case against Zuma, saying it hoped citizens would now realise that Mbeki had never unduly interfered with law enforcement agencies to prevent Zuma from succeeding him as the next ANC president at the party’s seminal National Conference in 2007.

“We also hope‚ that the judgment will finally put to rest‚ what has been over this period‚ a sustained narrative‚ devoid of truth and factual basis,” it said.

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