After 11 days of silence on the Nkandla scandal, President Jacob Zuma has hit back at his detractors, saying he was not guilty and that he had never misused governments money on his R246-million private homestead. Ive done nothing wrong. Even if they look underneath a tree or a rock they wont find anything against me. Im not guilty. Investigations have been done and they found nothing against me, said Zuma, speaking to a small crowd at a restaurant in Gugulethu, outside Cape Town, where he and other senior ANC leaders were on the campaign trail yesterday. This was the first time Zuma has commented on the controversial security upgrades to his Nkandla estate since public protector Thuli Madonsela released her damning report on March 19. Madonsela found that Zuma had benefited unduly from the upgrades and recommended that he pay back a portion of the millions used to build non-security items such as a swimming pool, amphitheatre, kraal, cattle culvert and chicken run. Zuma yesterday portrayed himself as a victim of political detractors who disliked him. All I did was to build my fathers house and they are chasing after me for that. Im from Nkandla, I will never leave that place. When I retire I will return there. I never asked anyone [to help me with the upgrades]. I have wives and so I needed to extend my homestead to accommodate my large family. That is not a crime. They say Im corrupt and I built my house with taxpayers money ... I never did that, said Zuma. Because of security considerations, said Zuma, the government installed bullet-proof windows and other security features to his home. During the process, he said, security experts even closed off one window they considered to be a security threat. The [security officials] came to my house and said they wanted to remove the window ... I fought with them . but they closed the window. I told them I spent 10 years on Robben Island and I want to have as much sunlight coming into the house, he said. Zuma was campaigning in Gugulethu following the ANCs two-day national executive committee meeting, which discussed Madonselas report. His comments fly in the face of calls by prominent ANC leaders, such as Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and outgoing joint chairman of parliaments ethics committee Ben Turok, for him, his ministers and senior government officials implicated in the scandal to take responsibility for their roles. In a Business Day column last week, NEC member Pallo Jordan was scathing in his criticism of Zuma and the ministers concerned. He said even though Madonsela had not suggested the president had acted corruptly, he cannot evade moral responsibility. Yesterday, suspended Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi wrote on Twitter that he agreed with Motlanthes comments. Moments later, he tweeted: Hoping the NEC will defend the 102 years of ANC legacy. The ANC will hold a press conference today at which it is expected to emphasise that Madonsela had absolved Zuma of any wrongdoing. Zuma has until Wednesday to report to parliament on Madonselas findings. Earlier, during a walkabout at Gugulethus Ward 42, Zuma visited a number of houses and addressed an impromptu rally. He attacked Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, saying her government only cared for the white areas while neglecting the poor. Our people are not cared for . they only care about the areas for whites and the rich. You cant have a government like that. We want to recapture the Western Cape, said Zuma, to applause. While Zuma was in Gugulethu, his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa was campaigning in Philippi. Zuma thinks that we(Including Advocate Thuli Madonsela) are all stupid.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 07:22:30 +0000
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