Where has Zuma gone? asks Maimane

President Jacob Zuma interacting with members of the media on the occasion of Commemoration of Black Wednesday and celebration of the 20 years of Media Freedom and freedom of expression at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.19/10/2014

President Jacob Zuma interacting with members of the media on the occasion of Commemoration of Black Wednesday and celebration of the 20 years of Media Freedom and freedom of expression at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.19/10/2014

Published Oct 20, 2014

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Cape Town - DA Parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane wants to know why President Jacob Zuma is not coming to Parliament to answer questions in person this year, saying the ANC is protecting him in violation of the national legislature’s rules.

This comes as the latest parliamentary programme fails to indicate a presidential question time slot, even though parliamentary rules stipulate there must be one such presidential question slot every term, or four times a year.

Zuma was present in the House once this year, on August 21, when the EFF “pay back the money” ruckus led to the session being suspended and presidential question time left unfinished.

At the time National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete promised to reschedule the session to complete it, but stressed that securing a date on the presidential diary was one of the most difficult things to do.

On Sunday Maimane said he would write to the leader of government business at Parliament, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, to account for Zuma’s absence from the House.

“Whether the ANC likes it or not, Jacob Zuma is the president, with all of the obligations that go with that. This includes appearing before Parliament to account for his performance in government,” said Maimane. “We know that President Zuma has become an embarrassment to the ANC. But this does not mean the ANC has the right to determine whether or not the president appears before Parliament to answer questions.”

However, the Presidency on Sunday dismissed concerns over Zuma’s absence.

“The president continues to meet his parliamentary obligations… Discussions are ongoing with the National Assembly to sort out the dates for oral questions,” presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

He added that Zuma would meet his responsibility to deliver his annual address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) early next month.

Maharaj pointed to time needed to prepare for the May 7 elections, and subsequently for the formation of a new government, as reasons the number of question times in the National Assembly was “naturally reduced” this year.

While Zuma may not have been in the National Assembly to answer questions in person, he regularly has submitted written replies to parliamentary questions.

Zuma is expected to be in the National Assembly on Wednesday when Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene delivers his first medium-term budget policy statement.

Meanwhile, DA MP Sej Motau wants Nene to reject a requested three-fold budget increase to R1 billion for Ministry in the Presidency to fund 750 posts there as the parliamentary public service and administration committee was told last week.

“This enlarged budget in the presidency could only serve to deepen the ANC’s crony network by opening up further opportunities for cadre deployment,” said Motau.

On Wednesday Nene faces a tough balancing act given South Africa’s stubbornly low growth rates - the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently revised growth to 1.4 percent, down from February’s Budget prediction of 2.7 percent - and a tough domestic economic environment in which rising food, electricity and other costs put consumers under pressure.

This comes as the country’s approximately 1.3 million civil servants opened their salary negotiations with a demand for a 15 percent increase, putting further pressure on an already high public wage bill.

Political Bureau

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