Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said on Tuesday a victory in Constitutional Court would be dedicated to the late Mail & Guardian journalist Mandy Rossouw‚ who first highlighted the spending at Nkandla.
Rossouw‚ a respected political journalist for several news organisations‚ died at the age of 33 in her flat in Bryanston‚ Johannesburg‚ in 2013 after complaining of chest pains.
Recounting how they stumbled upon the improvements being done to President Jacob Zuma’s private home in KwaZulu-Natal in November 2009‚ editor Chris Roper wrote in the newspaper on December 2013:
“I was on a story with journalist Mandy Rossouw‚ interviewing residents of Nkandla about what it was like to have a president as a neighbour… When we drove to the Nkandla residence to take some photos‚ we noticed there was some lacklustre building going on. Around 12 people were digging away and there was some heavy earth-moving machinery.
“Mandy’s interest was piqued‚ and she inveigled our way into the site office‚ a small‚ meltingly hot prefab building with three car wrecks abandoned outside. There was our first evidence of the extent of what Nkandla was destined to become‚ both as a large complex and as a massive story: architectural drawings taped to a wall‚ showing extensive development plans.”
Since then‚ the lavish upgrades at taxpayer expense have become a political and legal hot potato.
Today‚ the Constitutional Court is hearing arguments from the EFF and the Democratic Alliance in connection with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on the upgrades. In two separate cases which will be heard together‚ the EFF and the DA want the court to order Zuma to implement Madonsela’s directives‚ including paying back a portion of the costs for non-security upgrades. The National Assembly and the President are opposing the application.
Malema to dedicate con court victory to M&G journalist
Rossouw‚ a respected political journalist for several news organisations‚ died at the age of 33 in her flat in Bryanston‚ Johannesburg‚ in 2013 after complaining of chest pains.
Recounting how they stumbled upon the improvements being done to President Jacob Zuma’s private home in KwaZulu-Natal in November 2009‚ editor Chris Roper wrote in the newspaper on December 2013:
“I was on a story with journalist Mandy Rossouw‚ interviewing residents of Nkandla about what it was like to have a president as a neighbour… When we drove to the Nkandla residence to take some photos‚ we noticed there was some lacklustre building going on. Around 12 people were digging away and there was some heavy earth-moving machinery.
“Mandy’s interest was piqued‚ and she inveigled our way into the site office‚ a small‚ meltingly hot prefab building with three car wrecks abandoned outside. There was our first evidence of the extent of what Nkandla was destined to become‚ both as a large complex and as a massive story: architectural drawings taped to a wall‚ showing extensive development plans.”
Since then‚ the lavish upgrades at taxpayer expense have become a political and legal hot potato.
Today‚ the Constitutional Court is hearing arguments from the EFF and the Democratic Alliance in connection with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on the upgrades. In two separate cases which will be heard together‚ the EFF and the DA want the court to order Zuma to implement Madonsela’s directives‚ including paying back a portion of the costs for non-security upgrades. The National Assembly and the President are opposing the application.
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