ANC caucus cowering behind Zuma’s coattails‚ says DA

The Democratic Alliance has accused the ANC caucus of cowering behind President Jacob Zuma’s coattails on the Nkandla issue.

“Just days after the Minister of Police‚ Nathi Nhleko‚ came out in defence of his Nkandla report‚ so too have the ANC Caucus now come out in defence of their own actions in supporting Nhleko’s Nkandla report‚” DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said on Friday.

He stated that while former ANC chief whip Stone Sizani was reported as saying that the ANC caucus had always wanted Zuma to pay back a portion of the money for Nkandla‚ the ANC caucus had now said that this was in fact not true.

“It appears that the ANC can do nothing but cower behind President Zuma’s coattails‚ despite the fact that in the Constitutional Court President Zuma’s Senior Counsel had no trouble in throwing the ANC Caucus and their actions in upholding the Police Minister’s report under the bus‚” Steenhuisen asserted.

“In a bizarre statement this afternoon that same Caucus are determinedly sticking by their actions. They maintain that their actions in no way served to undermine the Public Protector or her report. It is beyond reason that the ANC still cannot accept that their support of the Police Minister’s report was unconstitutional and served to undermine the Public Protector. It is clear that the ANC Caucus is intent on defending their actions and ultimately President Zuma to the death.

“Like the Police Minister‚ the ANC Caucus must apologise to Parliament and the South African public for upholding the Police Minister’s report‚ which is likely to be discredited‚ over that of the Public Protector‚” Steenhuisen added.