President Zuma's R7‚8m Nkandla payback deadline looms

26 August 2016 - 17:20 By Tmg Digital

President Jacob Zuma has until September 29 to pay the R7‚8m that the Treasury had determined that he pay as a percentage of costs for the non-security upgrades at his Nkandla home. The Constitutional Court‚ in its order in March‚ ordered that Zuma must personally pay the amount determined by the National Treasury within 45 days of the court’s approval of the Treasury’s determination. The National Treasury determined in its report submitted to the court on June 27 that Zuma should pay close to R8 million. On July 26‚ the Constitutional Court approved the determination made by Treasury. This means Zuma should pay the amount within 45 days. The court rules define court days as any day other than a Saturday‚ Sunday or public holiday. In her report titled Secure in Comfort in 2014‚ Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Zuma and his family improperly benefited from the measures implemented in the name of security which included non-security comforts as his Nkandla house. These included the visitors’ centre‚ swimming pool‚ amphitheatre‚ cattle kraal with culvert and chicken run. She directed that Zuma‚ assisted by certain State functionaries‚ should work out and pay a portion fairly proportionate to the undue benefit that had accrued to him and his family. For more than a year‚ Zuma did not act on Madonsela’s remedial action. This prompted the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Democratic Alliance to launch applications to the Constitutional Court to force the president to comply with the remedial action.In March‚ the court held that the failure by the president to comply with the remedial action taken against him by the Public Protector was inconsistent with the Constitution. - TMG Digital..

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