DA Lash Out At Mbete

African National Congress (ANC) national chairperson, Baleka Mbete’s comments are nothing more than another failed attempt at excusing the inexcusable and hiding Nkandla behind cultural practices, said Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Lindiwe Mazibuko on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Mbete said experts looked at President Jacob Zuma’s private Nkandla home in the KwaZulu-Natal from a security perspective and changed the design in such a way that it no longer benefitted the Zuma family.

Mbete said while Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report into the R246 million of public funds used to upgrade the Nkandla residence clarified a lot, some things were debatable. She said one of those was not interfering with a man’s kraal.

“In the African tradition you don’t interfere with a man’s kraal,” she said. “The issue of a man’s kraal or a kraal of a family is holy space.”

Mazibuko said her comments were an affront to South African’s seeking answers about Nkandla.

“Mbethe is just another of President Zuma’s close allies, tripping over themselves to protect him from accountability,” she said. “Her words are nothing more than another failed attempt at excusing the inexcusable and hiding Nkandla behind cultural practices.”

Madonsela expressed her own frustration at Mbete’s comments, tweeting:

In her report, Madonsela found that Zuma and his family unduly benefitted from the upgrades to his private residence, and some of the changes could not be categorised as “security upgrades.” These included the swimming pool, cattle kraal and amphitheatre.

Madonsela recommended that Zuma pay back a portion of the costs.

Image Source: EFF Supporters

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