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Johannesburg — President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday dodged damaging allegations that R246m of taxpayers’ money was spent unlawfully upgrading his private home, prompting opposition calls for his impeachment.
Facing a April 2 deadline to respond to a scathing report by the public protector, just weeks before the elections, Zuma’s office said he would respond fully at a later date.
Instead, a terse statement said “the President remains concerned about the allegations of maladministration and impropriety around procurement in the Nkandla project.”
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found the upgrades — which include a helipad, swimming pool, amphitheatre, private clinic and visitors’ centre — were unlawful and said Zuma should refund taxpayers.
Zuma, 71, whose popularity is flagging, pointedly put the public protector’s findings on an equal basis as two other reports into the scandal which critics claim may be more favourable, including one by his own ministers.
Zuma indicated he would not comment in full until the third report, by the Special Investigating Unit — a body established by presidential proclamation — was completed.
A statement said Zuma would then give “full and proper consideration” to the reports and inform parliament about “decisive executive interventions.”
The DA accused Zuma of “playing games with the parliament” and said on Wednesday’s statement was “nothing more than a delaying tactic.”
“The truth is that President Zuma is running away from accountability. We won’t let this happen without a fight,” said the party’s parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko.
The DA has launched a criminal corruption case against Zuma and plans impeachment proceedings.
“We will continue to push on with our impeachment motion, and we will continue to seek legal advice on what steps can be taken to force the President to abide by these recommendations,” said Mazibuko.
Given the ANC’s vast parliamentary majority, the bid for impeachment is likely to fail. But it could prove politically embarrassing ahead of elections.
Zuma will seek a second five-year term on May 7, in what are expected to be South Africa’s most fiercely fought elections since 1994, when apartheid ended.
The ANC’s chief whip welcomed Zuma’s response saying it “illustrates the seriousness with which he regards the matter.”
Earlier this week Zuma shifted blame for the overspending to government officials.
“They did this without telling me,” he told local television channel ANN7. “So why should I pay for something I did not ask for.”
Despite being Africa’s largest economy, South Africa still has widespread poverty and 10 million people live on government aid.
Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of young South Africans believe Zuma should step down in the wake of the Nkandla saga, a Pondering Panda survey has revealed. “It’s clear that Nkandla is a huge political issue among young South Africans, with more than two-thirds feeling Zuma should step down because of it,” spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said yesterday.
The results were drawn from a cellphone survey of 2,114 respondents, aged between 18 and 34, who claimed to be aware of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on the upgrades at Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal.
In her report Secure in Comfort, Madonsela found Zuma and his family unduly benefited from the upgrades. She recommended that a percentage of the money be repaid.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents in the survey believed Zuma should step down because of the Nkandla matter, compared to 26 percent who believed he should remain president. Six percent were undecided. — AFP
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