Arms deal crusade not over

Arms deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne says the withdrawal of his case against President Jacob Zuma is merely "the beginning of the beginning".

His personal crusade to expose massive corruption in the government's controversial arms deal - the cost of which to the taxpayer is now put at R70-billion - has cost the retired bank manager R5-million in lawyers' fees.

Yesterday, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng rubber-stamped a draft order withdrawing Crawford-Browne's application to the court that it overturn Zuma's appointment last month of sitting judges to head the commission of inquiry into the arms deal.

Zuma said the state would pay Crawford-Browne's costs for two counsel and reimburse him for money wasted when the matter was postponed in the Constitutional Court. The state will also pay his costs in respect of a number of other applications.

The man in the spotlight was not at court yesterday, but said his fight was far from over.

He is to take action against the members of the cabinet committee that was responsible for the arms deal.

Crawford-Browne said the latest ruling meant no more than that Zuma had agreed to his application for a judicial commission of inquiry and would pay his legal costs.

The next step would be to take action against former president Thabo Mbeki, former minister of public enterprises Alec Erwin, National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel and the estates of ministers Joe Modise and Stella Sigcau, both of whom are dead.

"The arms deal unleashed the culture of corruption that now pervades South Africa. Literally every government department is now dysfunctional, and our public education and health services face collapse," Crawford-Browne said.

The arms deal was premised on "the absurdity" that R30-billion spent on armaments would generate R110-billion in offsets that would create more than 65000 jobs, he said.

An affordability study had informed the cabinet that, instead of creating 65000 jobs, the arms deal could lead to the loss of as many as 150000 jobs, Crawford-Browne said.

His crusade has taken a huge financial toll on the 68-year-old. He ran out of money in 2004 but said his wife continued to feed him.

"The fight was absolutely worth it. The arms deal was nothing less than the betrayal of the struggle against apartheid," he said.

Crawford-Browne said he has now pinned his hopes on the commission doing its job .