Durban - The DA wants President Jacob Zuma to appear before the parliamentary ad hoc committee on Nkandla and that Police Minister Nathi Nhleko’s report on the upgrades be discarded.
Speaking after the federal council meeting in Durban, party leader Mmusi Maimane said on Sunday that they would continue to hold Zuma accountable.
“The president must pay back a reasonable portion of the money spent on upgrading his private residence,” Maimane said at a media briefing.
He also said his party would not relent on upholding Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report into the security upgrades at the Nkandla homestead.
“The public protector report stands supreme in this saga,” Maimane said, adding that Nhleko’s report was irrational, unconstitutional and biased.
Madonsela recommended that Zuma pay some money towards the upgrades at his homestead because he and his family unduly benefited, while Nhleko said he should not as he had not asked for any.
James Selfe, chairman of the DA’s federal council, said the party wanted Zuma to appear before the ad hoc committee.
“It is only the president that can answer the very critical question whether he ordered or what he did not order,” he said, adding that Zuma could also shed light on what he knew and what he authorised on the upgrades.
He also said they had had no benefit of some document to the upgrades like a certain cabinet memo and police evaluation report.
Selfe charged that some of the upgrades in and around Zuma’s private residence were of a standard far beyond what was necessary.
Nhleko and Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi are scheduled to appear before the committee when it reconvenes. There is no indication of who else would be invited.
Maimane also said his party would now focus on local government elections from next month.
“Next year, the local government elections will provide a great opportunity for citizens to bring the DA difference to many more municipalities.
“In metros such as Nelson Mandela (Port Elizabeth), Tshwane (Pretoria) and the City of Johannesburg, current market research shows that change is on the horizon,” he said.
He said the federal council had resolved on short-term focus to achieve best possible results in the 2016 elections.
“That will include intensifying the Vision 2029 campaign and ensuring that we maximise the registration of all DA supporters.”
Maimane also said they would embark on unpacking their Vision 2029 with policy on growth and jobs as a starting point.
He added that his party opposed the nuclear procurement deal now being considered because it did not address the country’s energy crisis.
“Instead of investing in a trillion rand nuclear deal that we cannot afford, we need to ramp up investment in renewable energy projects and break Eskom’s monopoly over electricity generation and supply.”
Meanwhile, Selfe said they had written to the judge president of the Pretoria High Court asking for an earliest date for the full bench of court to consider their application to review the decision to not prosecute Zuma on corruption charges.
“We anticipate it will be heard towards the end of the third term of court - towards the end of September,” Selfe said.
He was confident the court would rule in their favour to reinstate corruption charges against Zuma.
Daily News