Poison: Episode 1 - The Chuckling Pensioner
Seriously...
BBC
4.1 • 885 Ratings
🗓️ 27 September 2021
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma believes he has been poisoned, repeatedly. He claims to be the victim of a long, sophisticated, and unfinished plot to assassinate him. But who would want to kill a man still celebrated for his role as a fighter in the struggle against apartheid? Could it be linked to the allegations of massive corruption against him? Or is there a broader conspiracy at work – an international plot to silence a man who claims to be speaking up for South Africa’s neglected poor? In this five-part series the BBC’s Africa correspondent, Andrew Harding, digs into a mystery that links a case of poisoned underpants, to a plot to kill Nelson Mandela, to this year’s riots that left 300 South Africans dead. In this episode, Zuma's early years.
'Poison' is the story of one man's toxic obsession and the battle for South Africa's future.
Presenter: Andrew Harding Producer: Vauldi Carelse Sound mix: James Beard Series editor: Bridget Harney
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box. |
| 0:05.0 | The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from. |
| 0:09.0 | And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.0 | The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.5 | The IRA inmates who found a way. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path |
| 0:19.5 | through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history. |
| 0:25.0 | The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them. |
| 0:28.5 | Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.0 | BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, Music Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:39.0 | Hi, I'm Andrew Harding and this is seriously from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:44.0 | This week, Poison. |
| 0:45.9 | In South Africa a former president claims he's the victim of a sinister international |
| 0:51.0 | plot. |
| 0:52.0 | But who would want to kill Jacob Zuma? In the first of five episodes, |
| 0:57.1 | meet the perfect revolutionary. |
| 0:59.2 | Picture an old man standing outside his house on a steep hillside. He looks sturdy, cheerful too, grinning broadly and joining in when some neighbors turn up to sing old Zulu songs. |
| 1:17.0 | Later he'll head indoors to join some of his many children and grandchildren |
| 1:27.0 | dancing together for a Tik-Toc video. Jacob Zuma has plenty of reasons to be cheerful. |
| 1:35.0 | Jacob Zuma has plenty of reasons to be cheerful. |
| 1:40.0 | He's lived an epic life. |
| 1:42.0 | The poor goatherder who joined South Africa's |
... |
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