The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) would on Thursday approach the Constitutional Court to seek a directive that would order Parliament to impeach President Jacob Zuma.
“The court application to the Constitutional Court seeks to order the Speaker of Parliament to institute impeachment or disciplinary proceedings against President Zuma for conduct associated with the Nkandla scandal, including lying to Parliament on numerous occasions,” the EFF said.
“We approach the Constitutional Court as a last resort based on the belief that Zuma’s conduct around the Nkandla matter, both inside and outside of Parliament, renders him unfit to hold the high office of President of the Republic of South Africa.”
The highest court in the land handed down a unanimous judgement last year on Zuma’s failure to heed a directive from the Public Protector to refund the state for luxury features added to his Nkandla home at taxpayer’s expense.
The court instructed the National Treasury to determine an amount to be paid by Zuma for non-security upgrades to his country home. The president was subsequently presented with a R7.8 million bill by Treasury, which he paid through a loan.
The court further affirmed that the Public Protector’s directives were binding and that Zuma had failed to uphold the Constitution by respecting and protecting the chapter nine institution.
Numerous attempts by the Democratic Alliance to pass a motion of no confidence against Zuma in Parliament have failed as the governing African National Congress (ANC) used its majority in the National Assembly to block the move.
The EFF said Parliament has done nothing in terms of abiding by the Nkandla judgement, which faulted the legislature for seeking to subvert the Public Protector’s findings.
“Tomorrow [Friday] is exactly one year since the Constitutional Court handed down its historic judgement in the EFF’s Nkandla application. Since then we have made numerous appeals and wrote several letters to the Speaker of Parliament [Baleka Mbete]. All have fallen on deaf ears and have been met with violence by Parliament on EFF MPs.”
– African News Agency (ANA)
