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COSATU’s disapproval of free trade agreements slated for conclusion with Indiaand China, as well as the policy of ‘quiet diplomacy’ with respect to Zimbabwe. Tocap a difficult year for Mbeki, he was forced to dismiss his deputy president, JacobZuma, following the guilty verdict in the trial of Zuma’s financial adviser, SchabirShaik. Zuma’s dismissal dealt a serious blow to Mbeki’s already questionablepopularity within the ANC’s traditional constituency, and marked the beginning of adownward spiral for Mbeki’s own political fortunes, and, some have argued, for theANC itself. In the press, and among religious groups, Mbeki was lauded for hisdecision on Zuma, however. 445In September 2005, some of the ANC’s more nefarious links to international crimeand corruption were exposed in a UN report on the Iraqi Oil-for-Food scandal. TheANC’s involvement in this issue, through a front company tasked with raisingmoney for the party, Imvume, shed new light on the party’s (and the South Africangovernment’s) position against the invasion of Iraq in 2003, as the UN inquiryclaimed that the Iraqi government had used its dealings with Imvume as a lever toinfluence South Africa’s foreign policy. 446 Indeed, the report shed light on thesignificance of the fact that, in April 2003, during the invasion of Iraq that hadcommenced in March, the ANC launched a vociferous popular campaign, titled‘Stop the War’, the first and only international issue it had seen fit to mobilise onsince the end of apartheid.By the end of 2006, Mbeki was in a stronger position on international affairs,however. South Africa strengthened its ties with two major non-Western powers,Russia and China. Mbeki hosted Vladimir Putin on a state visit, which addressed,among other issues, the sale of nuclear fuel and technology to South Africa. SouthAfrica had also managed to secure a deal with China, limiting the latter’s textileexports to South Africa, preceded by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation445 Catholic News Service. 2005. “South African church leaders praise dismissal ofdeputy president”, June 15, 2005. Accessed online at:http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0503534.htm on 23 February 2011;Forbes. 2005. “Mbeki fires corruption-tainted deputy president Zuma”, 14 June, 2005.Accessed at http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2005/06/14/afx2092126.html on 23February 2011.446 The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2005. South Africa Country Report, December2005: 20. See also Independent Inquiry Committee, 2005. Report on the Manipulation ofthe Oil-for-Food Programme, 27 October 2005. Accessed online at: http://www.iicoffp.org/story27oct05.htmon 9 November 2010.185