Why Malema is right in refusing to be addressed by Zuma

Parliament must respect our courts, and understand that no one is above the law – Zuma most of all.

EFF leader Julius Malema. Picture: Refilwe Modise

Something profound was said by EFF leader Julius Malema during a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Braamfontein on Tuesday afternoon.

He said “the truth remains the truth, it doesn’t matter how it is told”. He’s correct. The truth remains the truth regardless of who says it and how they say it. It’s like bottled water – it doesn’t lose its level balance no matter how you may twist the bottle. And you know what’s always true about the truth? It hurts if you’re on the wrong side of it.

And what is the truth here? The indisputable truth is President Jacob Zuma broke his oath of office when he failed to uphold and defend the Constitution and his oath of office by refusing to comply with the then public protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action.

Madonsela’s remedial action had required him to repay some of the money spent on nonsecurity features during construction and renovations at his Nkandla homestead.

Am I making this judgment up? Nope. It’s what Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said against the president on the Nkandla matter.

It doesn’t end there. The court also ruled that members of parliament had violated the Constitution and their oaths of office by failing to hold Zuma accountable about the spending at his private compound.

And parliament is yet to hold the president accountable for breaking his oath of office. He continues to address the nation, and everyone is expected to be happy with it. His half-hearted apology for how he handled Nkandla surely can’t be enough from someone in his position.

For God’s sake, Zuma is the First Citizen of this country. He must lead by example, and parliament also needs to lead by example, or this will set a precedent for all incoming presidents to act with impunity while in the highest office of the land.

The EFF is right in approaching the constitutional court to force the national Speaker of parliament, Baleka Mbete, to take disciplinary action against the president.

South Africa is a democratic country where no one is above the law – especially the president.