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The DA’s James Selfe said the Constitutional Court will have to give clarity on numerous issues – including whether Zuma is liable for impeachment – when it hands down judgment in the Nkandla matter on Thursday.
“We are very excited about the Constitutional Court and we think there are a number of very important issues that need to be adjudicated. One of them is the powers and privileges of the public protector and remedial actions,” said Selfe, the DA’s federal executive chairperson, outside the court on Thursday morning.
He said the court also had to determine if President Jacob Zuma broke the law by not adhering to the remedial actions proposed by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in her report on the upgrades made to the president’s homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.
“…We need the court the court to find out if the president deliberately broke the law by not giving heed to the remedial actions of the public protector. If he did do that whether or not he is liable for impeachment,” he said.
The EFF and DA took Zuma and National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete to court after they failed to adhere to the remedial actions by Madonsela.
They applied for an order clarifying the powers of the public protector, and that Zuma be ordered to pay back some of the money that was spent on non-security items such as the swimming pool, initially called a ‘fire pool’, a chicken run and a cattle kraal.
The Court Constitutional Court itself cannot impeach a president as that power resides with the National Assembly in Parliament.
Zuma’s lawyer, Jeremy Gauntlett, specifically brought up the issue of impeachment when he told the Constitutional Court in February: “It will be wrong if this court makes a ruling which may result in a call for impeachment. The DA and EFF may try to impeach”.
Media houses have set up outside the Constitutional Court ahead of Thursday’s judgment. There was also a heavy police presence outside the court.
Judgment is expected to be handed down at 10.00 – News24
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