Jubilant Zille finally gets spy tapes

A SEALED A3 envelope containing a single memory stick that took five years, six court cases and millions of rands to acquire.

That memory stick was in the forensic evidence bag that DA leader Helen Zille jubilantly held above her head as she left the Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria yesterday afternoon.

"This is a very, very important package I am holding in my hand," Zille said, triumphantly raising a sealed envelope containing the recordings.

"They have fought for five years to stop us getting these.

"You are all here to witness this historic day," she said, surrounded by supporters in blue DA T-shirts who cheered and waved "Give Us The Tapes" placards.

What was on those tapes, she said, was explosive and would probably form the basis of new criminal charges against President Jacob Zuma.

But after celebrating acquiring the tapes, Zille handed the evidence bag over to a forensic examiner, who will verify the authenticity of the recordings. "They cost a lot of money, and took a lot of time, but it was worth it ... we are a part of history today," she said.

"No president can have corruption charges withdrawn without good legal reasons."

Last week, the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the National Prosecuting Authority to hand over the tapes within five days.

Also part of this ruling was that the documents be delivered to retired high court judge Noel Hurt, who will study the documents and leave out those articles that contain Zuma's confidential written or oral presentations to the prosecuting authority.

What those seven-year-old tapes are supposed to contain are telephone conversations between the then head of the Scorpions Leonard McCarthy and former NPA head Bulelani Ngcuka, that allegedly reveal them manipulating the legal process relating to charges that Zuma was facing, including corruption and racketeering.

Those charges were eventually dropped in 2009, after NPA boss Mokotedi Mpshe said they showed a political conspiracy against the soon to be sworn in president.

There was a delay of about an hour before the tapes were handed over yesterday.

The Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng North Court, Aubrey Ledwaba, insisted on reviewing the court judgement before handing the spy tapes over to legal representatives of the DA.

This was a routine procedure, NPA spokesman Nathi Mncube said.

Zille said acquiring the tapes was the end of the beginning of the processes.

"The spy tapes are only part of the evidence. We want the entire record of the decision-making of the NPA, including minutes," she said.

"We hope that Jacob Zuma will have his day in court."

But the DA said it would not be revealing the contents of the tape to the public just yet.

The reason for this was South African common law prevented the handing over of legal documents to a third party not involved in the court case.

Ironically, the man who had opposed the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling welcomed the handover.

"The president is happy with the process thus far," Zuma's spokesman, Mac Maharaj, said. - Shaun Smillie