The DA's Mmusi Maimane chats to the media outside the National Assembly after the 2016 budget speech.
Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane on Tuesday attacked ANC MPs for defending President Jacob Zuma whom he compared to a cancerous tumour.
Opening a parliamentary debate on a motion to impeach Zuma over the Constitutional Court ruling that he violated South Africa’s highest law when he failed to follow a directive by public protector Thuli Madonsela to pay back a portion of public money used to effect non-security upgrades to his Nkandla private residence, Maimane lashed out at the President and the ruling party who he said sought to paint the landmark judgment as insignificant.
“They said the president was badly advised. They said the he was always going to comply with the public protector’s report. Basically they said it’s not a big deal.”
“Today the anger in our country remains palpable. The people of the country don’t like being taken for fools and that’s what President Zuma and Gwede Mantashe did on Friday night,” Maimane said, referring to Zuma’s apology on national television on Friday night, and the ANC’s decision to accept that apology.
Maimane then turned on ANC MPs for backing Zuma and their intention to use their majority to defeat the motion.
“Today, it will be recorded that ANC members of Parliament chose to defend a crooked, broken president instead of the Constitution and the rule of law. Today will signal once and for all that the ANC has lost its way and there’s absolutely no way back,” Maimane said to loud howling from ruling party benches.
“Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer. While our attention today focuses on a large and malignant tumour, we know that under the surface, the disease has replicated itself in every cell.” – African News Agency (ANA)