Zuma’s response to Constitutional Court decision

1 April 2016

From the statement of pres. Jacob Zuma on the Constitutional Court's ruling, it is clear that the president has no real comprehension of the seriousness or implications of the decision of the court. He does not deem it necessary to resign and tries to hide behind the excuse of the amount to be paid for Nkandla.

The president is also factually wrong when he argues that he gave the Public Protector his collaboration from the beginning. His office did everything in its power to frustrate the Public Protector in its efforts to complete the Nkandla matter. Just one example: To date, the president has not yet responded to the 15 questions of the Public Protector.

For the president to hide behind the uncertainties of the ministerial handbook on safety measures for members of the Executive, is politically dishonest. After numerous requests from the FF Plus on improving the uncertainties in the ministerial handbook, it has calculatedly been delayed by the government for several years.

From the president's statement, it is clear that the so-called top six members of the ANC do not have the courage to make the right decision in the interests of South Africa (and incidentally the ANC). The right thing would be to excuse the president and to give South Africa an opportunity to recover from this mess. It may even have a positive effect on the country’s imminent downgrading to junk status.

South Africans must prepare themselves for a protracted and painful process to president Zuma's resignation. As Mr. PW Botha of old, president Zuma could not tonight cross his Rubicon. History will however show that the president reached his inglorious end.

Statement issued by Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader, 1 April 2016