Only 'drugged' MPs believe South Africa is heading in the wrong direction - President Zuma

A relaxed and buoyant Zuma on Thursday instead accused opposition MPs of being “drugged” by negative propaganda and neglecting their parliamentary duties.

The President also dismissed allegations that the Gupta family had captured the state as nothing but "allegations and rumours".

• Broader inquiry into state capture by business needed‚ says Zuma 

Zuma was closing the debate on his budget vote that started on Wednesday‚ in which he was attacked by opposition MPs who claimed he was leading the country astray.

"South Africa is not on the road to being a failed state. Unless you are living in another country‚ a South Africa we don’t know. You need to free yourself from your party’s propaganda and honestly track the progress that South Africa is making. You will feel proud to have been a leader during this period in our democratic transition‚" said Zuma.

He was directing his comment to Democratic Alliance MP Sejamotho Motau. He said things would be better for Motau‚ who was not present in the chamber‚ if he left the “propaganda world and came to a truthful world”.

Zuma was addressing a half full National Assembly chamber as the main opposition parties such as the DA‚ EFF‚ COPE and the UDM boycotted the session.

Only smaller parties such as the NFP‚ IFP‚ Freedom Front Plus and the AIC attended.

Zuma slammed the parties for snubbing his debate‚ accusing them of dereliction of duty.

“By the way this is part of the problem. You have people who are elected by the people to be in parliament‚ debate‚ make laws‚ but who decide not to come to parliament. They are here to say whatever they want. They don’t even want to hear the response.

That tells you that whatever you say‚ they are not listening. They are hooked and trapped by their own propaganda world which they believe exists.

“Even in the debate they can’t argue‚ all they do is to just hurl insults. We don’t realise that because we are drugged by our propaganda‚ some people‚ unfortunately. May God be with them‚” said Zuma.

On state capture‚ Zuma said this was “a big thing” and needed to be addressed through an inquiry. “It’s not a small thing. Now all of us agree we need to do it.

We can’t pick and choose. We must do it generally and that is going to help us because it’s going to stop us depending on rumours and allegations. We must depend on facts‚” said Zuma.

Responding to Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald‚ Zuma said he was not a racist and had been led by white people‚ amongst others‚ during the struggle against apartheid.

- Parliamentary Bureau