Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has accused President Jacob Zuma of lying to dodge questions about deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas and the Gupta family.
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon‚ Maimane said Zuma had lied in his response to a written question in Parliament about Jonas allegedly being offered a job by the Gupta family.
The family‚ to which the president and his son Duduzane are said to have close ties‚ is alleged to have been allowed to influence cabinet appointments and how state tenders were awarded.
Maimane said he had asked Zuma why he had not replied to the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s question about Jonas being offered a cabinet position during a meeting with the Guptas in their Saxonwold home in October last year‚ when he had replied to the question in Parliament in March this year.
The DA leader said Zuma told Parliament that he could not respond to the public protector’s question because the question pertained to a matter that was before the courts.
However Maimane said that was not true because the matter was not before any court‚ the president has not taken the state capture report on review and there was not yet any Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
“In the absence of any official review application in a court of law‚ and in the absence of an initiated Judicial Commission of Inquiry‚ the President cannot lie and point to legal processes which are non-existent‚” said Maimane.
He said he would resubmit the question to Zuma‚ demanding that he responds in full.
“There remains no legal or rational basis for Jacob Zuma to not answer to Parliament regarding a matter of state capture‚” Maimane said.
This is the second time this week that the DA has challenged Zuma publicly‚ with Maimane laying corruption charges against the president at the Rosebank police station on Tuesday.
The DA leader requested that the police investigate criminal charges against Zuma because Madonsela’s State of Capture report provided‚ he said‚ enough evidence of corruption and undue influence by Zuma‚ the Guptas and other people.
A presidency spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. — TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
Zuma lied to dodge state capture questions: Maimane
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has accused President Jacob Zuma of lying to dodge questions about deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas and the Gupta family.
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon‚ Maimane said Zuma had lied in his response to a written question in Parliament about Jonas allegedly being offered a job by the Gupta family.
The family‚ to which the president and his son Duduzane are said to have close ties‚ is alleged to have been allowed to influence cabinet appointments and how state tenders were awarded.
Maimane said he had asked Zuma why he had not replied to the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s question about Jonas being offered a cabinet position during a meeting with the Guptas in their Saxonwold home in October last year‚ when he had replied to the question in Parliament in March this year.
The DA leader said Zuma told Parliament that he could not respond to the public protector’s question because the question pertained to a matter that was before the courts.
However Maimane said that was not true because the matter was not before any court‚ the president has not taken the state capture report on review and there was not yet any Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
“In the absence of any official review application in a court of law‚ and in the absence of an initiated Judicial Commission of Inquiry‚ the President cannot lie and point to legal processes which are non-existent‚” said Maimane.
He said he would resubmit the question to Zuma‚ demanding that he responds in full.
“There remains no legal or rational basis for Jacob Zuma to not answer to Parliament regarding a matter of state capture‚” Maimane said.
This is the second time this week that the DA has challenged Zuma publicly‚ with Maimane laying corruption charges against the president at the Rosebank police station on Tuesday.
The DA leader requested that the police investigate criminal charges against Zuma because Madonsela’s State of Capture report provided‚ he said‚ enough evidence of corruption and undue influence by Zuma‚ the Guptas and other people.
A presidency spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. — TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
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