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From Our Own Correspondent

Zuma’s Moment of Reckoning

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2021

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

South Africa’s former President, Jacob Zuma failed to appear at a corruption inquiry this week - an inquiry he himself set up when he was in power. But now he has been called to testify, he has accused the judge of carrying out a personal vendetta against him. The case has split the country’s ruling party, the African National Congress. In the eyes of many the former President will always be seen as the legendary liberation hero. Andrew Harding looks at why it’s proving so difficult to hold certain politicians to account in South Africa. We visit Wuhan in China, where, just over a year ago, a whistleblower - Li Wenliang - first drew the world's attention to the severity of the Coronavirus outbreak. A team of international scientists from the World Health Organisation have just returned from their month long visit to the city to try to identify the origins of the virus. China correspondent, Stephen McDonnell followed the motorcade of scientists on their tour and found information about what they learned was hard to come by. Tokyo's Olympics has faced a number of hurdles: last year the Games were postponed for the first time in their 124-year history due to the pandemic; Japan's Olympic chief was recently forced to stand down for making sexist comments and now there is local resistance to pressing ahead with the Games this Summer due to concerns about continued outbreaks finds Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. We visit the Uffizi gallery in Florence for an almost private view of some of the great works of Renaissance Art. Between lockdowns and restrictions, the museum re-opened briefly in January and Julia Buckley managed to steal a visit, without the tourists.

Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts

0:05.8

Today we all know what the pandemic is, but it seems we're no closer to identifying

0:11.0

its source. Our correspondent observes the complex game between international scientists

0:17.7

versus Chinese official dumb, as the World Health Organization's investigation team hunts

0:23.8

for accurate information in Wuhan. While in Tokyo, officials plan for the future, the

0:31.2

looming Olympic Games, feverish preparations clouded with rouse over derogatory remarks

0:37.7

about women and a hefty lack of enthusiasm in the Japanese public. However, in Tuscany,

0:45.0

a little moment of cultural delight, occasioned by being able to contemplate Renaissance art

0:51.5

in Florence, without the crowds.

0:55.8

First to South Africa, where there was a major no show this week at a corruption inquiry.

1:02.4

The former president, Jacob Zuma, sent a note via his lawyers, telling the judge he was

1:08.1

not legally bound to attend. This is an inquiry set up by Zuma himself when in power in 2018

1:16.4

to investigate corruption in state-owned enterprises and government departments. But now

1:22.1

he's been called to testify, he's accused the judge of overseeing a personal vendetta

1:27.7

against him. He could face prison for contempt of court. The case has split the ruling ANC

1:34.8

party. Is he a legendary liberation hero, or a root cause of endemic corruption? And

1:42.9

through harding considers why it's proving so difficult to hold certain politicians

1:47.8

to account in South Africa?

1:50.7

On a cold August day in 1963, a young man with a mischievous chuckle was pushed into

1:56.7

a police van. The 21-year-old wore handcuffs and leg ions, so did the others. They'd just

2:03.2

been found guilty of conspiring to overthrow South Africa's apartheid government, and

2:08.6

were now on their way to Cape Towns, notorious Robin Island prison, to serve 10-year sentences.

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