The poisoning on August 20 of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny appears to have passed most South Africans by. It shouldn’t have. Were it not for the shock defeat of the Zuma presidential ticket in December 2017, it’s a racing certainty we’d have been seeing similar incidents in this part of the world.
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After extensive tests at Berlin’s Charite’ Hospital, the German government yesterday stated Navalny, the most prominent of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s opponents, is a victim of having imbibed the nerve agent Novichok. This is the same chemical used by Russian military intelligence officers in 2018’s headline-making attempted murder of a UK-based former spy and his daughter.
Navalny, a 44-year-old lawyer, drank the spiked tea at a Siberian airport, his worsening condition forcing the plane to make an emergency return. He has been a thorn in Putin’s side since emerging as a popular leader during 2012’s mass protests. Lately Navalny has been campaigning against constitutional changes that would allow former KGB agent Putin (67) to retain control of the Kremlin until 2036. He has already been in power for two decades.
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Lest we forget, Jacob Zuma is an ardent public admirer of the Russian president. To whit, South Africans heard in evidence provided to the Zondo Commission how Zuma ejected a capable Minister of Finance while trying to push through the proposed Rosatom nuclear deal which would have bankrupted SA – but pleased his Russian pal. SA may be facing a tough future. But had Dec’ 17 ended differently, it would most definitely have been very much worse.
For your attention today:
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