PARLIAMENT, May 17 (ANA) – President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday told Parliament he had never lied about the financing of his private Nkandla home as he evenly dismissed further questions from the Democratic Alliance about the scandal that finally saw the Constitutional Court order that he reimburse the State.
Maimane, during the quarterly presidential question session in the National Assembly, reminded the president that he had told the chamber that government did not pay for his home, and that instead it was financed through a bank loan. He went on to suggest that the court ruling in March meant that Zuma was was lying.
“I must say to the honourable member I did not lie and your question is deliberately phrased in a manner that clouds the real situation,” Zuma replied.
He added that he began extending his house while he served as deputy president before 2005, and that neither the court, nor Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had found his statement that his family and not the state, had built the house to be untrue.
“I started extending my home when I was the deputy president, not president… by the time I became president the buildings were up, the first one at the roof level, the second one at the window level, the third one the foundation was beginning to rise. Government came as soon as I become the president with a plan that was based on before the extension began.”
As the opposition benches guffawed, he snapped: “Just keep quiet and listen, we built the house. The Constitutional Court has not said I lied when I said the family built the house, the Public Protector has not said so.”
Instead, Madonsela had found that five items, including a cattle kraal and swimming pool, built by government, had “indirectly benefitted” himself and his family and therefore a reasonable amount should be repaid to the State, he said.
“I never said I built the five items the Constitutional Court talks about,” he added. “I never lied.”
Accordingly to the judgment, National Treasury must soon determine a reasonable sum to be reimbursed by the president.
Zuma also dismissed an opposition question about the wealthy Gupta family who allegedly enjoy close ties with him and have repeatedly sought to influence government decisions.
“I know nothing about the business dealings of the Guptas or whoever,” Zuma said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
