Nkandla reprimand letters should be rejected by Parliament
25 April 2016
Yesterday Parliament published the letters of reprimand that President Jacob Zuma sent to the Ministers involved in the Nkandla scandal.
The letters were an insult to the gravity of the situation and are a clear indication that the President remains uncommitted to fully acknowledging the level of misconduct which was displayed by these Ministers. Such a half-hearted attempt at a reprimand simply cannot be accepted by Parliament.
Parliament now has a golden opportunity to re-establish its reputation, and to show that it is not a rubber stamping institution, by examining the content of these letters. It is our contention that the letters do not go far enough in terms of holding the Ministers to account for their actions, by publically admonishing them, or by showing the intention of ensuring that such actions never occur again.
For one thing, the reprimand for the Minister of Police should have come by way of a removal from office!