The information he is after would shift the blame in the Thales arms deal case to that of his former colleagues and one Nelson Mandela. Former President Jacob Zuma is facing charges of fraud and corruption for helping to facilitate an illegal agreement between the French company and the South African government. He is set to return to court next month, health issues permitting.

The document, drafted by Thusini Attorneys and seen by The South African, states that this approach is very much a last resort for the former president, who has had the arms deal trial looming over him for the last three-and-a-half years. 

• All foreign payments received by the ANC, from any German or French-based defence companies from 1997 to 2000.
• Lists of transactions received from companies making payments on behalf of Thint SA / African Defence Systems.
• Details of every payment Tony Georgiadis made to the ANC, from 2003 to 2005.
• A list of all monies paid into the party by Yusuf Surtee and his associated companies, between 1997 to 2000.
• The transactional history between Mr Bill Venter and the ANC, from 1997 to 2000.

Those dates run concurrently with Nelson Mandela’s time in office. Madiba spent five years at the helm, before stepping down and being replaced by Thabo Mbeki someone else who Jacob Zuma is willing to dig the dirt on. According to Msholozi’s legal team, Nelson Mandela chaired most of the meetings where these arms deals were brokered.

If they are as dodgy as the prosecution says they are, then uBaba says the focus must switch to others in power. The lawyers go on to say that Zuma was ‘reluctant’ to expose these files, as it would ultimately tarnish the image of the ANC for good. However, it is stated that this new tactic is ‘unavoidable’, given the severity of his own charge sheet.