Pressure is mounting on President Jacob Zuma to explain why he missed the deadline for the declaration of his assets, as required by the Executive Members’ Ethics Act.
Zuma’s lawyer, Michael Hulley, announced yesterday that the president had now submitted details of his assets to the Cabinet secretary, after a furore that followed the Sunday Independent‘s revelation that he had missed the deadline for disclosure by 10 months.
Zuma originally responded by saying that he was seeking legal opinion on whether the president was compelled to make a declaration in the same way as other members of Cabinet.
Public Protector Thulisile Madonsela has written to the Democratic Alliance to say that she will “immediately” investigate Zuma’s failure to declare his assets by the required date.
“Please be assured that the investigation will be carried out immediately and in compliance with the timeline stipulated by the Executive Members’ Ethics Act.
“I will also examine the law to establish if deviation from the requirement that the report be submitted to the president will be appropriate in the circumstances,” Madonsela said.
In addition to scrutiny by the public protector, Zuma may have to face questions in Parliament.
DA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip asked Speaker of Parliament Max Sisulu to allow an urgent question to be put to Zuma during his question time, which is scheduled for next week.
The DA will ask Zuma to explain the “full circumstances” around his failure to declare.
Trollip will also ask Zuma how he will “reconcile this failure with the requirements of the oath you undertook on being sworn into office to ‘obey, observe, uphold and maintain the Constitution and all other law of the Republic'”.
Trollip will ask Zuma to apologise to Parliament and the country.