Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma says he isn’t nervous about the EFF’s threats of impending chaos in Parliament if he doesn’t answer questions related to the Nkandla scandal during his State of the Nation Address on Thursday.
In fact, the president said he has no case to answer to regarding the multimillion-rand security upgrades at his private Nkandla home in rural KwaZulu-Natal. He reiterated his stance that he was baffled by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s adverse findings against him that he and his family had “unduly benefited” from the R246 million upgrades.
Zuma had lunch with editors at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Sunday.
Julius Malema’s EFF has warned that if Zuma doesn’t answer questions related to what has been dubbed Nkandlagate on Thursday, Parliament could again descend into the chaos seen in August, when the party’s MPs banged their benches, shouting “Pay back the money” in unison.
Zuma sounded unperturbed on Sunday, saying he would be guided by parliamentary rules.
“Well, it all depends on the rules of Parliament. I (will) listen to the Speaker (Baleka Mbete) and decide (based on) what she says,” Zuma said.
“I don’t think there is anything that is extraordinary. Parliament acts according to a set of rules. I have never been nervous in my life.”
Zuma paused for a moment, and then chuckled before he continued: “Firstly, I don’t agree with the EFF. When they raised the issue, it was before Parliament and it was under discussion by the (Parliament’s ad-hoc) committee (on Nkandla). If I was the Speaker, I wouldn’t have allowed that question.”
Zuma again sought to absolve himself of the expenditure, reiterating that he was paying a bond for his residence. He again expressed dismay at Madonsela’s findings.
“Secondly, you know when the matter of Nkandla, it was said Zuma squandered more than R200m. Three institutions have investigated, and not a single one has found (any wrongdoing against me). Then the public protector said I unduly benefited… Zuma built his own house,” he added.
The president, who had until then been in a relaxed mood and jovial, became agitated. He suggested that people were unfairly targeting him, saying it was not the first time that security upgrades had been done at a house of a sitting president, and other places declared national key points.
“These matters are dealt with by the security cluster. Is this (furore) because it’s for the first time we have a president from Nkandla? It’s not fair. I don’t see any logic…You don’t want to stop the (Parliament’s ad hoc) committee (on Nkandla) and want a different outcome.
“I don’t understand, I never understood the logic of it. I am saying it’s not a small matter that I had squandered R250m, it’s not a small matter. I am paying a bond in my own home and you are misleading the country. Actually, three houses is what I am paying a bond for there, and people are still misleading the country.”
Becoming increasingly irritated, Zuma accused the EFF of “diverting” the Nkandla matter for cheap politicking.
“I think there is something fishy with the way this matter is being dealt with. I think people are using the matter of Nkandla for political reasons because the facts are there… The facts are clear, people don’t deal with the facts, they deal with Zuma. Should I worry about the EFF? I don’t worry about the EFF.
“Why should I pay back the money before that matter is concluded? I think it’s unfair.”
Zuma then admitted that the South Africa is in trouble because of the energy crisis gripping the country.
He said the government could have done better to avoid the situation
Zuma said the ANC-led government had, since taking over power more than 20 years ago, been complacent.
“Before 1994 we were all made to believe that energy in South Africa was in oversupply. But in fact that was not correct because it was done for a smaller group of people and it was not for the majority,” Zuma said.
South Africa has been hit by severe intermittent, rolling power outages as Eskom continues to implement load shedding in a desperate attempt to keep the country’s power grid running. The drastic measures, which escalated from stage 2 to the more severe stage 3 last week, have been met by a national outcry, with concerns that they were costly to an ailing economy reeling from the global economic slowdown.
Stage 1 allows for up to 1 000 megawatts of the national load to be shed, stage 2 for up to 2 000MW and stage 3 for up to 4 000MW.
DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane said last month that Eskom should declare the power shortages in the country a national crisis and that the power supply utility should be privatised. He accused Eskom of bad leadership and indecisiveness.
Zuma said the energy crisiswas of concern and that the government could no longer be complacent.
“The growing economy and rolling out of energy to many has made us realise we don’t have enough energy. Maybe we should have done enough,” Zuma said.
He said the energy crisis would be the focal point of his State of the Nation Address on Thursday.
The Star