Congress of the People appalled at moves to downplay Nkandla report Press statement For immediate release 17 March 2014... Reports by weekend press that the ANC plans to downplay the Public Protector’s findings on Nkandla are alarming, says Mosiuoa Lekota, President & Parliamentary leader of the Congress of the People. The Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, is expected to release her final report on security upgrades to the private residence of President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday this week. We are appalled to hear that the ruling ANC would rather protect their leaders and ignore gross negligence perpetrated on their watch,” says Lekota. “The R208-million that has been spent on Nkandla, could have been utilised in giving 3 782 homes to poor families. “This is yet another indication that the party has lost its moral compass, and will go to extreme lengths to protect party interests above good governance and the overall best interests of the country,” Lekota adds. Lekota says COPE is of the view that Chapter 9 institutions such as the Public Protector and the Auditor-General, must be given greater authority in terms of action that should be taken. “They should be able to prosecute any person found guilty of transgressing a law. That way, the ANC will no longer have the option of disregarding the consequences of its corruption. “The chorus of those protecting the corrupt in the ANC has become so loud that they have started to drown out the voices of decent men and women of integrity within the ANC. “Even the outgoing Minister in the Presidency, Trevor Manuel, was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying that attacks on our Chapter 9 institutions, including the office of the Public Protector, will erode democracy in South Africa. “That plea was met with deafening silence from his colleagues in Parliament,” says Lekota. He says the ANC simply can no longer be trusted with the future of South Africa, as it views the coffers of the state as a trust fund for self-enrichment of its members and those connected to it. “Valuable and scare financial resources are being plundered with no benefit to the country and yet we continue to borrow funds from international markets, adding to a growing debt burden while our taxes are being directed to fruitless and wasteful exercises like the R208-million spent on the President’s private residence under the guise of security upgrades,” says Lekota. Lekota says South Africans need to wake up and smell the coffee: “We will either continue on this downward slope of mediocrity and lack of accountability that the Zuma administration has put us on, or we can claim back the country, reintroduce accountability and create a government for the people.” Ends Issued by: J.J. (Johann) Abrie National Spokesperson COPE Tel: 0839975133
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:04:11 +0000
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