EFF statement on Zuma's Question and Answer session today

23 November 2016

The EFF will not participate in the Question and Answer session in parliament today because we do not recognise Jacob Zuma as president of the Republic. Firstly, Jacob Zuma was found by the Constitutional court to have violated his oath of office, and thereby undermining the constitution in that he failed to uphold and protect it. Zuma failed to do this in relation to the processes of the upgrade of his private home in Nkandla where he unduly benefited from the abuse and misuse of state funds.

Secondly, the State of Capture report has also found that Jacob Zuma is continuing to violate the Code of Ethics in his business dealings with the Gupta family. As a matter of fact, Zuma has allowed the country to be led politically, by the Gupta family which South Africans did not vote for. It is beyond any doubt that Zuma is at the centre of a Gupta criminal syndicate and they have turned South Africa into a kleptocracy. Zuma is in the middle of rapacious and callous looting of State resources for his own benefits.

Zuma has recently admitted that he knows who else in stealing South Africa's money through corruption and he has not reported it. Keeping silent on corruption makes one to be party to the corruption being committed, so Zuma has publicly admitted to a criminal offense and is therefore a criminal. 

After the declaration from the highest court in the land that Zuma has violated the constitution, it is immoral to legitimase and normalise a fugitive by participating in a Question and Answer session. We refuse to normalise him, and reject the hypocrisy and failure of parliament to think Zuma can comply and answer about the country when he has been declared in the highest court in the land to be in violation of the law of the land. Zuma is a fugitive and the entire continuation with him in all sessions, whether symbolic or real, as if he is normal will not help change the situation.

The EFF's non participation in the question session today must never be mistaken for cowardice. We are going to the ground to mobilize mechanisms on how we will protect South Africa's parliament from a criminal. It must be very difficult for any criminal and thug to address South Africa's Parliament. 

Issued by Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi, National Spokesperson, EFF, 23 November 2016