Cape Town - The African National Congress (ANC) on Wednesday welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s offer to settle the court case on Nkandla by contributing to the cost of upgrading his private home, but stressed that this should not be seen to imply that the party believed he was guilty of any wrongdoing.
“The ANC welcomes the decision of President Zuma to find a permanent solution to the Nkandla matter within the recommendations of the Public Protector, as per the president’s submission to the Constitutional Court,” the ruling party said.
“It is the view of the ANC that such a solution will bring closure to the long-drawn matter which has been a focus of parliament for some time.
“Our support for the proposed solution does not imply that President Zuma is responsible for wrongdoing in the security upgrades at Nkandla, we still call for prosecution of those responsible,” it added.
The Democratic Alliance, which is fighting a parallel legal battle to that of the Economic Freedom Fighters to force Zuma to refund the state for luxuries added to his homestead, on Wednesday indicated it would reject the offer.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said Zuma was again trying to subvert Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s directive that he refund the state a reasonable sum to be determined by National Treasury with input from the police service.
Zuma in his offer, suggested the amount should be set by the Auditor-General and the finance minister. He also maintained that he had never been found guilty of wrongdoing in the scandal over the project that cost more than R200 million and has clouded his presidency since he took office in 2009.
African News Agency
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