EFF denies disrupting Parliament says Zuma must pay back money

18 June 2015 - 21:58 By RDM News Wire
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The Economic Freedom Fighters party on Thursday night denied disrupting Parliament and asserted it would never retreat from its position that President Jacob Zuma must pay back the money spent on upgrades at his Nkandla residence.

In a statement‚ it claimed that those who wanted the party to move beyond the Nkandla question were “complicit in the undermining of the rule of law” and accused the Democratic Alliance of colluding with the ANC to protect Zuma from “the most important accountability question on corruption‚ which is Nkandla”.

Parliament descended into chaos and proceedings were halted on Thursday afternoon as the EFF isolated itself from other opposition parties in preventing President Jacob Zuma from answering parliamentary questions to hold him accountable.

National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete suspended proceedings after two and a half hours of EFF disruption‚ saying that the EFF was undermining the will of South Africa's people.

Despite an agreement between all other parties that questions to the president must continue‚ the EFF caucus persisted in shouting "Pay back the money" even as Zuma took to the podium to answer questions.

Responding to the events‚ the EFF said it deep offense from President Zuma's last appearance in parliament when he mocked and ridiculed the opposition about the Nkandla question.

“Zuma did this on the eve of the announcement by Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko that Zuma must not pay any amount that was unduly spent in the Nkandla upgrades. Nhleko not only sought to exonerate Zuma from the Public Protector's recommendations and remedial action‚ he went further to say that more taxpayers money must be used to build more infrastructure in Nkandla‚” the EFF said.

It charged that ANC was using its majority to silence parliament when it came to holding Zuma accountable.

“It abused each parliamentary process to impose on it the protection of Zuma in the same way Minister of police tried to do. The EFF has been warning that all processes within the institution of parliament are being abused to protect Zuma and corruption.

“Therefore‚ ultimately‚ ANC is asking everyone to respect a flawed process because they know that through it they will use voting cattle methods to undermine the constitution‚” the EFF added.

The party said it believed that all processes had been adhered to and had thus far not yielded any result except to protect President Zuma and the executive.

“Accountability means after the Public Protector‚ an independent constitutional structure‚ has investigated and said Zuma has benefited unduly from the Nkandla upgrade‚ then Jacob Zuma must pay back the money. We shall never retreat from this position because it is based on the supremacy of the rule of law.

“To hold Zuma accountable is to demand of him to practically respect the constitution. He must show respect to the constitution by implementing the remedial actions of the Public Protector. The ANC minister of police was hoping that he had buried the Public Protector's report and thus parliament must simply move on with business as usual‚” the EFF stated.

“Other opposition parties fell into this trap and are ready to accept this. As expected‚ they were mobilized by the ANC to postpone holding Zuma accountable. This is disingenuous because they were all there when Zuma ridiculed the question and told parliament that they must move on as there are other serious matters of national importance.

“The DA therefore colluded with the ANC to protect Zuma from the most important accountability question on corruption‚ which is Nkandla. The EFF‚ unlike the DA will never accept Zuma's ridicule and instructions that we must all move on and raise other important issues. The EFF will not do this because we do not take instructions from the ANC. Zuma must pay back the money as the Public Protector's recommendations have said‚” the EFF added.

The party stated that it would never accept a situation “that it is business as usual when it comes to the Nkandla question because we have done a thorough ideological critique of post-colonial countries that the protection of corruption will lead to the collapse our democracy.

“The EFF knows that many post-colonial countries degenerated the day citizens allowed the protection of one individual above the constitution and the rule of law.

“EFF has not disrupted parliament‚ instead those who want us to move on beyond the Nkandla question are complicit in the undermining of the rule of law‚” the party asserted.

It added: “EFF takes parliament and its work on defending the constitution seriously. We are the only political party that managed to raise cogent declarations in all 40 budget votes because EFF takes the work of the House seriously in holding all the ministers accountable. We have participated in committee work‚ constituency work and we work hard each day to restore integrity to parliament as an independent constitutional institution which must never be undermined by the executive.

“Today‚ the ANC chanted from its benches ‘bring back the girl’ to drown EFF points of order and the Speaker said nothing. Only when the EFF responded with the chant ‘pay back the money’ did the Speaker collapse the House because Baleka Mbete is a partisan Speaker who only exists in parliament to impose the ANC on us.

“EFF will defend the Public Protector's report to the end because it means protecting the constitution. Wherever and whenever we meet Zuma we will ask him to do as the Public Protector said: that Zuma must pay back the money.”

 RDM News Wire.

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