via Zim 2002 election report vanishes from SA Court | SW Radio Africa by Nomalanga Moyo on Wednesday, February 19, 2014
A highly sought-after report on the controversial 2002 Zimbabwe presidential elections has vanished from South Africa’s Pretoria High Court.
The report is at the centre of a legal battle between the SA government and the Mail & Guardian newspaper, which has been fighting for its release since 2008.
Earlier last year, SA High Court Judge Joseph Raulinga ordered President Jacob Zuma to hand over the report to the M&G within 10 days.
This was after the judge had read the report and concluded that it cast doubt over the legality of the Zim elections – which were ‘won’ by ZANU PF’s Robert Mugabe.
The SA presidency however appealed the order, just as they had done with three previous rulings to make the document available to the public.
It is unclear how the report detailing the findings of two SA judges, sent by then-president Thabo Mbeki to observe the 2002 Zim elections,vanished.
But Judge Raulinga, who was keeping it in his office, told both legal teams last week that he had his suspicions and was investigating, the M&G said Friday.
According to the newspaper: “Between December last year and February this year a senior state attorney had made several unsolicited and unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the report from the judge’s custody, in his absence.”
The SA Presidency claims that the missing copy was the only one it had.
The South African newspaper maintains that it is important to make the confidential report public to enable SA, a key player in regional politics, to understand what went wrong in the 2002 election.
“If our President (in 2002) was informed by two eminent judges of serious problems with that election and reacted in the way he did, which was effectively to endorse that stolen election, then there are things the current administration can learn,” Nick Dawes, then editor at the M&G newspaper, told this station last year.
Current SA President Zuma was among the first regional leaders to endorse last year’s July 31stelection which was again controversially ‘won’ by Mugabe and ZANU PF, sparking an outcry from many Zimbabweans who condemned the poll as neither free, fair, nor credible.
COMMENTS
It is within South Africa’s interest to promote anarchy in Zimbabwe. The professionals, the cheap labour and the zim market
Does The SA Presidency expect the rest of the world to believe there is only one copy? Pull the other one!!
Exactly. And those people who supplied the information for the report still have their hard copies don’t they?!
only copy my backside. JZ, Zim is not Inkandla where you build kraals for your cattle that have mirrors like 6 star hotelrooms. It is clear that zanu are interfering and dictating your foreign policy. Be careful because you are only soiling the reputation of SA on the international scene. Soon you will be following Mugabe in ‘looking east’. The rand is struggling as we speak and stealing the ‘only copy’ of such an important report does not reflect favourably on your administration. Don’t blame bank robbers on this one. Neither can you say you did not know about the report and its whereabouts and its whereabouts now. In your shradder?
I heard that there was a fire in Zumas house and two of his favourite school books from his last class had got burnt and he was really sad because he had not finished colouring in the second one….
This report, should it ever be found, must be total dynamite. The tenacity with which the SA presidency has clung on to it despite multiple court rulings is proof enough that SA endorsed a stolen election.
True
Showerhead zuma and the african intelectual mbeki have the firm belief that the south african public and for that matter the world are as thick as the anc and it’s voters.
I would not include ANC voters on this one. Yes Mbeki and JZ are proper thick but the voters? I don’t think so. While the SA public does not quite like the current ANC leaders, the role of the ANC over many years in delivering freedom will remain the parties currency for a while yet – and rightly so. Respect for Mandela has been rejuvinated following his passing. On the other hand Juju is Juju. The DA? Then who else? Zero. Unlike Bob JZ does not even need to rig. Bob knows his scandals and he can make them public (or not) and JZ being thick, is frightened of the prospect. SA voters are fine people with no other choice and a rich history to protect.
Surely the South african government has no conscience. Zimbabweans are what they are today because of South Africa and in future South Africa should never be allowed to mediate in Zimbabwean affairs. It is now clear for everyone to see that the South African government was and is biased in its involvement in Zimbabwean affairs.
Guys be serious! It is twelve years since this election was held and two general elections have since taken place. Whosoever was supposed to win in 2002 had two ‘tryagain’ the first one being in 2008 general elections and the second tryagain was in 2013 general elections. Suppose the report was still there, was it going to change the results of the pursuant two elections? If this election report was not brought up between 2002 and 2008, it means it did not deserve urgency and has been eroded by passage of time. Kushure kweguva hakuna muteuro.
Tongoona, look, suppose this report was released at the time, its contents and recommendations would hopefully have influenced the outcomes of the ‘tryagains’ that that followed. Yes twelves years have passed since 2002 but more elections will be held in future. Granted, past results will not be reversed but lessons will be learned for future elections. That is partly what the M&G in on about. In any case, mhosva haiore. Icala kaliboli. Contrary to your position, it is quite clear that Zanu and JZ are scared of making that report public. Ask yourself why it has disappeared?
The South Africans have been taking lessons from the Zimbabweans – if you don’t like something – lose it or deny that you ever had it or say “there was only one copy” and in due course it will be swept under the carpet – they hope – at least their judiciary isn’t completely biased – hang in there Mail & Guardian MAYBE in in another 10 years time they’ll let you publish it!
Mbeki=easy pickins stooge. Zuma = resident drongo. Cricket = 150k eh? Why would anyone in their right mind support RGM? We know it won’t happen but next stop the Hague for his mob would be an appropriate ending? And SA will do FA! Might just call you SAFA! How I and all my safa mates wish you were so much better. Madiba must be wailing.
Zuma thinks that he owes it to Mugabe that his wife is the AU chair. So he had no option than to support Mugabe. The report disappeared in the same way that criminal records disappear in SA, shame on Zuma.