State not a 'bailout bank' for corrupt politicians, says Mmusi Maimane

DA leader Mmusi Maimane says it is unconscionable, and unacceptable, that the presidency has agreed to pay for Jacob Zuma’s legal costs for his participation in the Zondo commission, on top of the costs for his criminal defence that the state already pays.

“How long will this government make the public pay for Jacob Zuma? President Ramaphosa should cut off this obscene funding immediately, and in fact the president should be opposing Zuma’s application for a permanent stay of prosecution,” Maimane said in a statement on Sunday.

He added that if Ramaphosa was serious about showing real commitment to fighting corruption, there was no way that he should be allowing the public to carry the cost of Zuma’s legal defence, and he described this as “a corruption tax on the public”.

“Ramaphosa should be using the Zuma case as an opportunity to demonstrate that no one will be above the law in South Africa. He should instruct the state attorney to oppose Zuma’s application for a stay of prosecution. The DA calls on Ramaphosa to do so,” Maimane said.

“Regardless of whether the president rises to the occasion or not, the DA will not let Jacob Zuma get away with corruption. We have instructed our lawyers to begin the process of joining the case as an interested party to oppose Zuma’s application for a permanent stay of prosecution,” he added.

“The state is not a bailout bank for corrupt politicians. The DA will ensure that anyone found guilty of corruption spends a minimum of 15 years behind bars.”