Durban - President Jacob Zuma could be taken to court after having been accused of refusing to issue specific public rebukes to his ministers involved in the Nkandla mess.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said on Sunday that Zuma’s refusal to issue a proper rebuke to his ministers was a failure to do his work and an insult to the constitution.
The letters of reprimand were given to two ministers and a former minister, and revealed in Parliament on Friday.
Read: Nkandla: Zuma ‘reprimand’ letters a joke, says Maimane
Former police minister Nathi Mthethwa, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi and Nxesi’s predecessor, Geoff Doidge, were given the letters by Zuma last week.
The president also sent the three letters to Speaker Baleka Mbete to notify Parliament.
But the DA is up in arms over the content of the letters.
“Reference is made to the above report of the public protector. Acting in terms of the powers vested in her in terms of Section 182 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, read with the Public Protector Act, 1994, and the Executive Members Ethics Act, 1998, the public protector investigated the allegations of improper conduct or irregular expenditure relating to the security upgrades at my residence in Nkandla,” read the letter.
Read: No Zuma scolding for Nhleko
“The Constitutional Court has affirmed the direction by the public protector, among others, that I am required to reprimand the ministers involved in the Nkandla project, for what the public protector termed the appalling manner in which the Nkandla project was handled and state funds were abused.”
“Pursuant to the latter, I hereby deliver the reprimand required. I am doing so to each of the ministers indicated by the report,” it ended.
Maimane slated these letters, saying they did not constitute a proper rebuke. This was an indication that Zuma was arrogant and failing to take responsibility for what happened in Nkandla, he said.
The DA was seeking legal advice and could take Zuma to court.
Zuma has been forced several times to backtrack on decisions following the judgments of the court.
In 2012 he was forced to rescind the appointment of Menzi Simelane after the DA successfully challenged his decision to appoint him head of the National Prosecuting Authority.
Zuma was also taken to court by the EFF to force him to pay back money spent on non-security upgrades at his house in Nkandla.
This was after he repeatedly failed to budge in Parliament after the EFF and DA asked him to pay up as ordered by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
Maimane said the letters Zuma sent to the three ministers did not constitute a rebuke by any standard.
The Mercury