SOUTH AFRICA:South African intelligence services have dismissed as a "malicious hoax" a supposedly official dossier alleging that ex-deputy president Jacob Zuma had been plotting to overthrow the government with the support of Libyan and Angolan funds.
Government officials said the report, which was labelled "top secret" and "leaked" to senior politicians, had been aimed at causing confusion, mistrust and division both in South Africa and across the continent.
They likened its production to an apartheid-era dirty tricks campaign, and warned of similar hoaxes in the run-up to the African National Congress (ANC) presidential election in December.
The document suggested Zuma enlisted the help of African leaders "hostile" to South Africa's interests to further his presidential ambitions, including Libya's Col Muammar Gadafy and Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos.
The report, purportedly drafted by intelligence operatives, also alluded to a senior member of the South African defence forces raising "the possible alignment of the military in support of Zuma . . . as well as the possibility of a military coup".
Far-fetched as the allegations sounded, they caused enough consternation within the South African government to trigger an investigation.
Director general in the presidency Frank Chikane said the document had the hallmarks of a "Stratcom" (strategic communication) initiative, previously used by apartheid officials to spread misinformation. He said "an investigation is ongoing to establish the sources, and once we establish the sources we will be able to work out the intent".
National Intelligence Agency (NIA) chief Manala Manzini said he believed the report was aimed not only at creating divisions in South Africa but also at creating "conflict between our government and some African countries, and some heads of state".
Rumour and innuendo have been a characteristic of the presidential campaign. An alleged plot to assassinate Mr Zuma was exposed last month as a hoax.