DA: Zuma missed opportunity with report

2011-08-03 21:45

Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has missed a golden opportunity to confirm his government's commitment to accountability, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday.

In breaking his silence on Tuesday on Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report into the police lease deal, he also failed to reassure the country of his government's support and recognition of the authority and mandate of the protector's office, DA spokesperson Debbie Schafer said.

Instead of explaining how the report's findings would be implemented, he seemed to hope that if he denied a friendship with Roux Shabangu, people would overlook Madonsela's finding that two members of his government were guilty of improper, unlawful conduct which amounted to maladministration, Schafer stated.

Those members are police chief General Bheki Cele and Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde.

Zuma's statement on Tuesday that he was "following due process", and that the government would not act without the interrogating information before it, came across as stonewalling, said Schafer.

It should not be necessary for him to spend any significant amount of time interrogating information produced by the public protector, she said.

Due processes

To do so undermined the integrity and authority of Madonsela's office, the DA member said. Zuma had had the first report since February this year.

That report stated that unlawful actions had been committed. The second report, released three weeks ago, confirmed these findings.

"The president has therefore known for some time what the outcome would be. How much longer does he need to 'follow processes', and what processes is he following?" Schafer asked.

Zuma's statement did nothing to clarify why former public works minister Geoff Doidge was replaced by Mahlangu-Nkabinde, and why she proceeded with the Pretoria lease deal in contravention of an undertaking given by her predecessor to the public protector.

"South Africa needs to hear what the president is going to do about the report.

"The fact that it is taking five months to process is inexplicable and does nothing to convince us that he is serious about government accountability.

"The public protector has asked the president to do the right thing. Now is his opportunity to do just that, and to do so without further delay," Schafer said.

- SAPA