EFF statement on the Zuma Question and Answer session

18 June 2015

The Economic Freedom Fighters took deep offense from President Jacob Zuma’s last appearance in parliament when he mocked and ridiculed the opposition about the Nkandla question. Zuma did this on the eve of the announcement by Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko that Zuma must not pay any amount that was unduly spent in the Nkandla upgrades. Nhleko not only sought to exonerate Zuma from the Public Protector’s recommendations and remedial action, he went further to say that more taxpayers money must be used to build more infrastructure in Nkandla.

The ANC is using its majority to silence parliament when it comes to holding Zuma accountable. It abused each parliamentary process to impose on it the protection of Zuma in the same way Minister of police tried to do. The EFF has been warning that all processes within the institution of parliament are being abused to protect Zuma and corruption. Therefore, ultimately, ANC is asking everyone to respect a flawed process because they know that through it they will use voting cattle methods to undermine the constitution.

The EFF believes that all processes have been adhered to and have thus far not yielded any result except to protect Zuma and the executive. Accountability means after the Public Protector, an independent constitutional structure, has investigated and said Zuma has benefited unduly from the Nkandla upgrade, then Jacob Zuma must pay back the money. We shall never retreat from this position because it is based on the supremacy of the rule of law.

To hold Zuma accountable is to demand of him to practically respect the constitution. He must show respect to the constitution by implementing the remedial actions of the Public Protector. The ANC minister of police was hoping that he had buried the Public Protector’s report and thus parliament must simply move on with business as usual.

Other opposition parties fell into this trap and are ready to accept this. As expected, they were mobilized by the ANC to postpone holding Zuma accountable. This is disingenuous because they were all there when Zuma ridiculed the question and told parliament that they must move on as there are other serious matters of national importance.

The DA therefore colluded with the ANC to protect Zuma from the most important accountability question on corruption, which is Nkandla. The EFF, unlike the DA will never accept Zuma’s ridicule and instructions that we must all move on and raise other important issues. The EFF will not do this because we do not take instructions from the ANC. Zuma must pay back the money as the Public Protector’s recommendations have said.

The EFF will never accept a situation that it is business as usual when it comes to the Nkandla question because we have done a thorough ideological critique of post-colonial countries that the protection of corruption will lead to the collapse our democracy. The EFF knows that many post-colonial countries degenerated the day citizens allowed the protection of one individual above the constitution and the rule of law.

EFF has not disrupted parliament, instead those who want us to move on beyond the Nkandla question are complicit in the undermining of the rule of law.

EFF takes parliament and its work on defending the constitution seriously. We are the only political party that managed to raise cogent declarations in all 40 budget votes because EFF takes the work of the House seriously in holding all the ministers accountable. We have participated in committee work, constituency work and we work hard each day to restore integrity to parliament as an independent constitutional institution which must never be undermined by the executive.

Today, the ANC chanted from its benches “bring back the girl” to drown EFF points of order and the Speaker said nothing. Only when the EFF responded with the chant “pay back the money” did the Speaker collapse the House because Baleka Mbete is a partisan Speaker who only exists in parliament to impose the ANC on us.

EFF will defend the Public Protector’s report to the end because it means protecting the constitution. Wherever and whenever we meet Zuma we will ask him to do as the Public Protector said: that Zuma must pay back the money.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, June 18 2015