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SA opposition moves to impeach Zuma following Constitutional Court ruling

Xinhua, March 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Following a judgement by the Constitutional Court in the much anticipated Nkandla case, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has officially begun the process to impeach President Jacob Zuma, it was announced on Thursday.

In the ruling handed down on Thursday, the court found that Zuma failed to uphold, defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the land by disregarding Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report on the Nkandla case, in which Zuma was accused of abusing public funding worth 246 million rand (about 16 million US dollars) in security upgrades at his private home at Nkandal, KwaZulu-Natal Province.

The DA said this pivotal judgment confirms its long-held contention that Zuma seriously violated the Constitution when he sought to undermine the Public Protector's remedial actions by instituting parallel investigative processes, and his subsequent failure to implement her remedial action.

"Today's ruling is clear in this regard: President Jacob Zuma's action amounts to a serious violation of the Constitution, and constitutes grounds for impeachment," the DA said in a statement.

The DA said its leader Mmusi Maimane has written to Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, notifying her that the party has tabled a notice of motion resolving to remove Zuma from office in terms of the Constitution.

In its Thursday ruling, the Court found that Zuma and Parliament flouted the Constitution by ignoring the Public Protector's findings into the Nkandla case.

The Court also found that Zuma must repay for the upgrades at his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Parliament must determine the reasonable costs that Zuma must pay for the upgrades, the court ruled.

Earlier this year, Zuma offered to pay a certain amount of money. But he said the determination of the amount should be independently and impartially determined so as to achieve an end to the dispute in a manner that meets the Public Protector's recommendations and is beyond political reproach.

Zuma wants the Finance Minister and Auditor-General to determine how much he is liable to pay. Enditem