President Zuma must break his silence on Nkandla report 

It has been six full days since the release of the Public Protector's report into the Nkandlagate scandal and President Jacob Zuma - who is heavily implicated in it - has yet to comment on its damning findings or to assure South Africans that this report will not be ignored.

This is despite the fact that ANC ministers, the ANC Youth League and other ANC affiliates have all emerged attacking the report, and in some instances, even the integrity of the Public Protector herself. 

There are also on-going threats to take the Public Protector's report on legal review. 

Throughout the intimidation of Adv Madonsela's office and the threats from his party, President Zuma has kept completely silent as though the house in question is not his and the money spent is not public money. 

That is why the DA will force him to break his silence by submitting over 15 parliamentary questions in the National Council of Provinces today.

The following are some of the pertinent questions posed to President Zuma:

Whether President Zuma will pay back the money spent on non-security line items such as the cattle kraal, the fire pool and the chicken run;

Whether he will consider stepping down as the President given that he has been found to ‘have acted against the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa;

Whether he will take any action against the ministers who have been implicated and found guilty of gross maladministration by the Public Protector and;

Whether he intends to take legal action against the Public Protector and put her report through legal review as has been stated by the ANC in response to these damning findings.

President Zuma will have up to ten working days to answer these questions. He would do well to take the people of South Africa into his confidence, show leadership and tell us what he intends to do in light of this report. 

In any other country, a President implicated in a scandal of this magnitude would have voluntarily stepped down. Instead President Zuma has all his ministers frantically trying to shield him from any accountability. 

The DA will continue in our fight for accountability. If he will not speak to South Africa, we will have no choice but to use Parliament to force him to. 

Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, Parliamentary Leader of the Democratic Alliance, March 25 2014

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