‘Court should enforce PP’s view on Nkandla’

The Economic Freedom Fighters said yesterday they were preparing to take parliament to the Constitutional Court in a bid to make President Jacob Zuma pay back money spent on Nkandla.

Last month, EFF lawyer Luvuyo Godla wrote a letter to parliament’s speaker Baleka Mbete asking her to create a platform for dialogue that would see Zuma paying back the money. Godla told The Citizen yesterday Mbete turned down their request.

“We are busy fi ling the court papers,” said Godla. “It is not in their (parliament’s) discretion to choose which of the recommendations to implement and which not to. We are approaching the court to say their action [in not implementing the recommendations] is unlawful.”

In his report on Nkandla released in May, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko said Zuma did not have to pay back some of the R246 million spent on the security upgrades to his Nkandla home.

This was despite a recommendation made by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela that Zuma must pay back at least a portion of the money. She said the president and his family unduly benefited.

Madonsela’s recommendation could only be set aside by a court of law, added Godla. He said Nhleko interfered with the public protector’s functional integrity by saying the president must not pay back a cent.

Parliament set up an ad hoc committee to assess the report after it was released.

Mbete’s spokesperson Mandlakazi Sigcawu said the speaker’s office had not received any notice of a court action, adding they could therefore not comment.

Parliament’s spokesperson Luzuko Jacobs could not immediately be reached for comment.