Yesterday, his counsel Jeremy Gauntlett SC represented him at the Constitutional Court in Braamnfontein, to determine what the President has to pay back.
This was the discussion at the Constitutional Court by Zuma’s advocate in the case about Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on the upgrades at his private residence in Nkandla.
“We are proposing that which could bring an end to the protracted issue which has traumatised the nation‚” he said.
In her report on the upgrades at Zuma’s Nkandla home published in March 2014 and titled “Secure in Comfort”‚ Madonsela concluded that when security improvements were made at Zuma’s home‚ a number of structures were built at state expense that were not related to security.
Madonsela said the president must‚ with the assistance of the ministers of police and finance‚ determine the reasonable costs of those features and repay to the state a reasonable portion of that amount.
But EFF and DA’s lawyers were having none of it.
Advocate William Trengove SC‚ for the EFF‚ argued that Zuma‚ as president‚ had a heightened duty to protect the Constitution. He also argued that Zuma defied the Public Protector in order to protect his “ill-gotten gains“.
“This case goes far deeper than the question of the powers of the Public Protector. It goes to the systemic failure of the government and the National Assembly‚” says Anton Katz.
EFF leader Julius Malema, has threatened to make the address ‘ungovernable’ alongside his 5000 or so strong supporters as they will put it to the Zuma on why he fired Nhlanhla Nene-ex minister of Finance, amongst others but ANCYL has stood its ground and said they’re ‘unshakable’ and will deal with EFF ‘misbehavior’.
The billion rand question is Zuma ready for all this?
Your guess is just good as mine!
