Article: Zille stopped at Nkandla

[Jola]

President Zuma must answer to all South Africans for stealing their money for his personal use.

Yes, but how ? He has the NPA in his pocket.

 

[gregmcc]

Yes, but this is Africa !

Has anyone watched Jungle Gold

Scary - you can see why the whole of Africa is a right off! Corruption everywhere.

 

[reactor_sa]

Democratic Alliance press statement by
Helen Zille
Leader of the Democratic Alliance

Zuma has 72 hours to answer for Nkandla

04 November 2012

Today my colleagues and I visited President Jacob Zuma’s compound at Nkandla to see what a R250 million renovation with public money looks like.

We felt it was important for us to see the compound for ourselves before we embark on court action against the President for this blatant abuse of power. This is state-sponsored corruption on an unprecedented scale. We cannot let him get away with it.

On the 16th of October we wrote to the President, and to various government ministers, asking for the truth about Nkandla. We asked them for details on how much was spent, on what, by whom, and under what provision of law.

We got no response other than to acknowledge receipt of our letters. Today we are giving President Zuma and his government a further 72 hours to respond. If there is no substantive response by close of business on Wednesday 7 November, we will instruct our lawyers to make preparations to take him and the government to court over what is now known as ‘Nkandlagate’.

The news of our visit was met with open threats of violence from the ANC and the SACP. No ANC leaders repudiated or condemned these threats. In fact, they were amplified with inflammatory and race-loaded rhetoric by senior ANC leaders. We will not be intimidated from exercising our constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight and focus public attention on the facts. And we will not allow the ANC to declare certain areas ‘no-go zones’ in our country.

The ANC has condemned our visit here today because they say this is the ‘private residence’ of the President. They don’t see the irony in that statement. It is exactly because this is the private residence of the President that this publicly funded upgrade is so wrong. When almost a quarter of a billion rand of public money is spent on a private residence, then it cannot be considered ‘private’ any longer.

President Zuma has lost the right to call this his private residence. Nkandla belongs to each and every South African who has to sacrifice the basic services they need, so that the President could turn his home into a five-star fortressed palace. One day we will look at it as a monument to the fight against corruption, a reminder of a President who thought he could get away with stealing the people’s money.

Abusing public money for private benefit is the very definition of corruption. The R250 million spent on Nkandla is the most brazen case of corruption since the Arms Deal, in which President Zuma also played an active role.

In fact, the two cases are closely linked. It is a matter of court record that the bribe paid by Schabir Shaik to then Deputy President Zuma in 2000 was to help fund the original construction of the Nkandla compound. Zuma abused his position as President to escape prosecution in that case. Now he has abused his position to finish the renovations to his homestead with public money.

The DA has never been intimidated by the ANC, and we are not now. The truth must come out about Nkandla. President Zuma must answer to all South Africans for stealing their money for his personal use.

So is this the pieces of the corruption puzzle coming together?

 

[2026]

Zille needs to stop this folly with Zuma, it won't change voters. Focus on expanding the DA footprint and quality of service.

 

[STS]

This is ridiculous. If she has permission to be there then nobody should be allowed to stop her. The police are there, arrest those seeking to infringe upon her right to freedom of movement.

She knew it was going to happen though. This is like provoking a kid into throwing a tantrum each time. The ANC has no excuse but she did expect this and she wanted to milk it.

 

[Mila]

She knew it was going to happen though. This is like provoking a kid into throwing a tantrum each time. The ANC has no excuse but she did expect this and she wanted to milk it.

Oh so because a kid is naughty you should not tell it what it is doing it not acceptable?
We should just leave them to carry on cause lord knows we rather not have the ANC throw a tantrum?

That is what they want.

 

[thestaggy]

Zille needs to stop this folly with Zuma, it won't change voters. Focus on expanding the DA footprint and quality of service.

I agree. Stop playing the man and play the ball. We all know Zuma is a piece of ***** but no matter how much effort you put into highlighting it the uneducated voter base will be easily swayed with free t-shirts and lunch.

 

[Albereth]

She knew it was going to happen though. This is like provoking a kid into throwing a tantrum each time. The ANC has no excuse but she did expect this and she wanted to milk it.

And the problem is what exactly?

The DA got plenty of mileage.

The ANC could only get a few hundred people off their backsides. Malema gets more.

And the incompentence of the police is highlighted again.

 

[STS]

Oh so because a kid is naughty you should not tell it what it is doing it not acceptable?
We should just leave them to carry on cause lord knows we rather not have the ANC throw a tantrum?

That is what they want.

you should beat the ANC senseless, but noting that it was planned isn't harmful. when you get a reaction that makes you look good, i also find it disgraceful. the DA is becoming all about show now, and while they are a hundred times better than the ANC, they are beginning to seem like the republicans in america

 

[STS]

And the problem is what exactly?

The DA got plenty of mileage.

The ANC could only get a few hundred people off their backsides. Malema gets more.

And the incompentence of the police is highlighted again.

it's propaganda, propaganda from either party is pathetic. they only ever step into situations where they have a win-win either way, which is how politics works, it's dirty. got nothing against it, but they're no saints.

they are beginning to take bigger steps though which is a lot more impressive, but it doesn't seem like they're winning any points with the ANC voters, all theyr'e doing is rubbing their faces into the mud

 

[Albereth]

I agree. Stop playing the man and play the ball. We all know Zuma is a piece of ***** but no matter how much effort you put into highlighting it the uneducated voter base will be easily swayed with free t-shirts and lunch.

Really? R200M of my money. Pop over to my place and try helping yourself to my money and you'll find a gunshot to the face and a cricketbat to the balls. Then we'll talk about the issues.

 

[Albereth]

it's propaganda, propaganda from either party is pathetic. they only ever step into situations where they have a win-win either way, which is how politics works, it's dirty. got nothing against it, but they're no saints.

they are beginning to take bigger steps though which is a lot more impressive, but it doesn't seem like they're winning any points with the ANC voters, all theyr'e doing is rubbing their faces into the mud

The DA aren't trying to win points with ANC voters. Some people are just so dumb that they are a lost cause.

 

[STS]

The DA aren't trying to win points with ANC voters. Some people are just so dumb that they are a lost cause.

well then they're not very smart. if you're going to keep the same voter base the entire time, the votes are never goign to rise, duh

 

[CR34M3]

She knew it was going to happen though. This is like provoking a kid into throwing a tantrum each time. The ANC has no excuse but she did expect this and she wanted to milk it.

Regarding this comment (and subsequent replies); the Daily Maverick summed it up beautifully. And while the truth behind this saddens me, I have to agree...

Publicity stunt meets thuggery: The DA's non-storming of Zuma's Bastille

The DA also seems to have lost sight of the fact that this scandal is playing out at the height of the ANC Mangaung battle, when Zuma is fighting to hold on to his job. The exploitation of state funds for personal benefit is central to this battle and is under discussion in all levels of the ANC as part of the accusations and counter-accusations flying about.

Now the DA has handed Zuma and his defenders a way out, bringing the issue down to race and an attack on the president’s dignity and privacy. As was evident with The Spear painting, this does not necessarily have to make sense or be factually correct – it just has to make Zuma look like the victim to get ANC supporters to rally behind him.

 

[2026]

Really? R200M of my money. Pop over to my place and try helping yourself to my money and you'll find a gunshot to the face and a cricketbat to the balls. Then we'll talk about the issues.

You think that if the DA go visit the site the ANC will politely give back the money?

This is pissing into the wind.

 

[Jola]

Regarding this comment (and subsequent replies); the Daily Maverick summed it up beautifully. And while the truth behind this saddens me, I have to agree...

I don't agree.

If this makes JZ look like a victim then this country is doomed, whichever way you spin it.

 

[LazyLion]

The DA is doing what the DA is supposed to do as an opposition party... hold the government accountable.
This is not about winning votes, those moronic ANC voters would never switch anyway, especially the ones who were there blocking the road.
It just proves that the average ANC voter thinks along racial lines more than corruption or spending.
They don't care that their president just wasted R200 million of public funds... it was not their taxes that he took it from.

 

[thestaggy]

Really? R200M of my money. Pop over to my place and try helping yourself to my money and you'll find a gunshot to the face and a cricketbat to the balls. Then we'll talk about the issues.

Uhm, that is my money being wasted as well. Re-read what I said. We all know the nonsense the ANC gets up to but blasting it all over will not change anything with regards to the masses of uneducated voters who are easily swayed with a free lunch and a t-shirt. The ANC has screwed the poor over left and right yet they still get the votes. The DA would be better served ensuring the Western Cape as a whole continues to progress as well as their other wards/towns/cities/municipalities instead of focusing all their efforts on a witch hunt for one man.

 

[CR34M3]

I don't agree.

If this makes JZ look like a victim then this country is doomed, whichever way you spin it.

The DA is doing what the DA is supposed to do as an opposition party... hold the government accountable.
This is not about winning votes, those moronic ANC voters would never switch anyway, especially the ones who were there blocking the road.
It just proves that the average ANC voter thinks along racial lines more than corruption or spending.
They don't care that their president just wasted R200 million of public funds... it was not their taxes that he took it from.

But that is the whole point; how do you get people to see the corruption and act on it (with their votes)? I do not claim to have an answer to this question, but as long as Zuma CAN spin it to look like he's the victim then the DA hasn't made much progress on this front.

 

[Albereth]

Uhm, that is my money being wasted as well. Re-read what I said. We all know the nonsense the ANC gets up to but blasting it all over will not change anything with regards to the masses of uneducated voters who are easily swayed with a free lunch and a t-shirt. The ANC has screwed the poor over left and right yet they still get the votes. The DA would be better served ensuring the Western Cape as a whole continues to progress as well as their other wards/towns/cities/municipalities instead of focusing all their efforts on a witch hunt for one man.

It catches the swing vote. Idiots will still vote as idiots but the undecided may be open to understanding that it is time to change.

And it isn't a witch hunt - that knob should be rotting in prison.