Defiant to the end – even though agreeing to pay back the money is essentially admission of guilt – the presidency said in its statement that, the upgrades at Nkandla and any irregularities that happened are still in the process of being investigated in separate enquiries into officials and professional consultants. The matter is set down to be heard on Tuesday 9 February. In December, Zuma was forced to backtrack on the appointment of a little-known lawmaker as finance minister after the rand and nation’s bonds dived.
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Professor Steven Friedman, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, said the most obvious reason for Zuma’s surprise offer to pay a portion of the Nkandla costs was that he was facing a court case he might lose. “It means that the system is working and healthy”.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma attends the opening ceremony of the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, January 30, 2016.
Maimane said the timing of Zuma’s announcement was suspect, and the president was responding to the political climate, and the upcoming local government elections.
“The president’s sense of political invincibility seems to have been dented by cumulative events”, Fikeni said by phone from Pretoria.
His change of position came ahead of a Constitutional Court hearing next week as opposition parties the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) unite in a bid to force him to refund the cash.
In a statement released Tuesday night, Zuma proposed to the Constitutional Court of South Africa to advise the finance minister and auditor general on how much he should repay for non-security upgrades made on the property in Nkandla village, KwaZulu Natal province.
If the Constitutional Court does accede to the president’s request, it could render next week’s case academic.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane told journalists that Zuma had “done everything to undermine the work of the public protector and the constitution” over the Nkandla controversy.
This has sparked a two year scandal, which has brought great embarrassment to the South African presidency, a situation, analysts say, Zuma is trying to end by paying back the said funds. Zuma is due to deliver this year’s speech on February 11, and the EFF had threatened to stage further protests.
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Addressing the media on Wednesday morning, the DA leadership said it would continue to pursue the matter.
