South Africa News

MaNtuli to sue Hawks and NPA for accusing her of poisoning Jacob Zuma

Those who pursued her were driven by ‘severe political pressure’ under former NDPP Shaun Abrahams, says Ntuli-Zuma’s lawyer. Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, the estranged wife of former president Jacob Zuma, will be suing the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks for “malicious prosecution” after she was accused of involvement in a plot to poison her husband, in what her lawyers said was a charge brought without any real evidence.

Though MaNtuli has been at the centre of the allegations since 2015, she has consistently denied them. Her pending litigation will seek to force the NPA and Hawks to disclose the evidence that justified their decision to identify her as a suspect, The Sowetan reports.

Ntuli-Zuma’s lawyer Ulrich Roux told the publication that the two bodies – under the direction of former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shaun Abrahams, were driven by “severe political pressure” in making the allegations against her.

Now under the leadership of NDPP Shamila Batohi, the NPA made the decision not to prosecute Ntuli-Zuma in September due to an apparent total lack of evidence.

Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma

Her attorney Ulrich Roux said in April: “This matter has been hanging over my client’s head since June 2015. In four years, the SAPS and the NPA have seemingly made no progress pertaining to any further investigation being conducted herein, and whether there is merit or substance in the allegations levelled against my client.”

In 2017, Ntuli-Zuma also appealed to the NPA to charge her or leave her alone. TimesLive reported at the time that MaNtuli was considering going to court, as there had been no developments in the case. A Zuma family insider allegedly told the Sunday Times at the time that MaNtuli had done “something terrible that could put her in jail for a long time”.

However, Business Day quotes acting KwaZulu-Natal director of public prosecutions advocate Elaine Zungu now saying in a letter to the Hawks: “There is no evidence that Mr Zuma was poisoned. Zuma, it turns out, had never even provided a statement in the matter, so was not a complainant.

In other news – Basetsana Kumalo’s memoir gets praised by her fellow celebs

Basetsana Kumalo is a living South African legend and her story is one that inspires many of us – She decided to share her story in a memoir that was recently officially launched – Mzansi celebs have been showering Basetsana’s book with compliments and praise.

Basetsana Kumalo

Local living legend, Basetsana Kumalo, has penned down her life’s story and it’s inspiring everyone who’s read it. Her memoir, Bassie: My Journey of Hope, was recently launched and celebrities all over the country are in awe of it and her. Read more

Source: The Citizen