Tags: AF | South Africa | President's Scandal

South African President Apologizes for Scandal

South African President Apologizes for Scandal

Friday, 01 April 2016 05:24 PM EDT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday apologized for a scandal over millions of dollars in state spending on his private residence and said he would abide by a Constitutional Court ruling that he should pay back some funds.

In a nationally televised address, Zuma said he acted "in good faith" in the long dispute over his Nkandla home, which fueled concerns about alleged corruption at the highest levels of government as well as opposition calls for the president to resign.

"The matter has caused a lot of frustration and confusion for which I apologize on my behalf and on behalf of government," Zuma said.

Despite the president's apology, the main opposition party said it would still move to impeach Zuma after South Africa's top court said he had violated the constitution by not adhering to a state watchdog agency's recommendations that he should pay back some of the more than $20 million spent on his compound.

"Jacob Zuma is the cancer at the heart of South African politics," Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance party, said in a statement.

However, impeachment requires a two-thirds majority in a parliament where the ruling African National Congress party has a comfortable majority and has already defeated a no-confidence motion against Zuma this year. The Constitutional Court also ruled Thursday that parliament failed in its obligations by not holding Zuma to account in the spending scandal.

Under the court's ruling, the national treasury must calculate costs of upgrades unrelated to security at Zuma's home within 60 days, and the president must repay that amount within 45 days thereafter. Those upgrades include a swimming pool and a chicken run.

"I wish to emphasize that I never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the constitution, which is the supreme law of the republic," Zuma said.

In a separate scandal, Zuma has been accused of allegedly improper links to the Guptas, a wealthy business family whose business associates include Zuma's son Duduzane. The president dismissed allegations that the Guptas played a role in selecting some Cabinet ministers, but other leaders of the ruling party have harshly criticized the family.

Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris

© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Africa
South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday apologized for a scandal over millions of dollars in state spending on his private residence and said he would abide by a Constitutional Court ruling that he should pay back some funds.In a nationally televised address, Zuma said...
AF,South Africa,President's Scandal
364
2016-24-01
Friday, 01 April 2016 05:24 PM
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