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| Duduzane Zuma |
South African prosecutors on Thursday provisionally
withdrew corruption charges against Duduzane Zuma, the son of former president
Jacob Zuma.
Duduzane Zuma faced charges of
corruption and conspiracy to commit corruption related to his dealings with the
Guptas, three Indian-born brothers accused of using their relationship with
former president Zuma to win state contracts.
However, the Guptas and Zumas deny wrongdoing.
Zuma appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in
Johannesburg which confirmed that the National Prosecuting Authority had
withdrawn the case pending further evidence.
The NPA’s failure to build a case against Duduzane
Zuma is a setback for its promised fight against graft.
Jacob Zuma’s successor, Cyril
Ramaphosa, has staked his reputation on rooting out corruption since becoming
president in February.
The Guptas have denied there
was anything untoward in their relationship with former president Zuma,
however, their ties are being investigated in an inquiry that could take
months, or even years, to be concluded.
The Guptas’ whereabouts are not publicly known.
Duduzane was also due to
appear at Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg in March to face charges
of culpable homicide over a fatal car crash in 2014.
In 2014 his Porsche 911
collided with a minivan taxi, killing one woman and seriously injuring another
who later died in hospital.
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