Cope calls on opposition parties to boycott Nkandla visit
The Congress of the People (Cope) on Tuesday called on opposition parties serving on the Nkandla parliamentary ad-hoc committee to boycott Wednesday’s planned visit to President Jacob Zuma’s homestead. “We want to tell our colleagues in the opposition parties that their participation in this ad-hoc committee will inevitably contribute to the undermining of the Constitution as well as chapter nine institutions‚” Cope spokesman Dennis Bloem said. “In particular it will weaken the office of the public protector.”By visiting Nkandla‚ opposition parties would lend credibility to a process that was “already predetermined” and which would be “settled by a vote in favour of the ruling party anyway”.“This is a charade.“It is our view that this visit‚ following the scandalous ‘Nhleko report’‚ is a mere ploy to sanction further expenditure on the president’s homestead at Nkandla.“The real purpose of the ruling party in agreeing to this visit is to justify and support further upgrades recommended by (Police Minister Nkosinathi) Nhleko.”..
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