South African President, Jacob Zuma, has
welcomed the court judgement asking him to
pay back part of the money spent on upgrading
his Nkandla homestead.
Zuma said in a televised address to the nation
on Friday that he was willing to pay back
money spent on non-security related upgrades
at the house.
The President, in the address, urged “all
parties to respect the judgement and will
abide by it. “Let us use the judgement to build and further
strengthen our democracy,” he added.
South Africa’s top court held on Thursday that
President Jacob Zuma defied the constitution
when he used $15m state funds to renovate
his private home and ordered a refund.
The 11 justices of the country’s Constitutional
Court had unanimously ruled that the
President should reimburse some of the sum
spent on the renovations, the amount of which
will be determined by the national treasury.
Opposition parties had filed two cases, alleging
misuse of public funds over the hefty price
tag.
Zuma, therefore, apologised any
inconvenience that the prolonged matter
might have caused his people, saying, “The
matter has caused a lot of frustration and
confusion, for which I apologise, on my behalf
and on behalf of government.”
A full text of Zuma’s address as reported on
News24 read in part, “Yesterday, the
Constitutional Court of the Republic, playing
this crucial role, issued a judgement on the
matter of security upgrades at my private
residence in Nkandla.
“I welcome the judgement of the
Constitutional Court unreservedly.
“The judgement has underscored the values
that underpin our hard- won freedom and
democracy, such as the rule of law and the
accountability of public office bearers, while
also respecting the rights of public office
bearers facing scrutiny.
“The judgement has further strengthened our
constitutional democracy and should make
South Africans proud of their country’s
Constitution and its strong and effective
institutions.
“This is a ground-breaking judgement with
regards to the powers of the Public Protector.
“I have consistently stated that I would pay an
amount towards the Nkandla non-security
upgrades once this had been determined by
the correct authority. The Court has ruled on
the matter and has devised a mechanism for
such determination by the National Treasury.
“I wish to emphasise that I never knowingly or
deliberately set out to violate the Constitution,
which is the supreme law of the Republic.”
Denying any involvement in corruption, Zuma
said, “The intention was not in pursuit of
corrupt ends or to use state resources to
unduly benefit me and my family. Hence I
have agreed to pay for the identified items
once a determination is made.”

# I wiish our politicians and judiciary will learn from this and stop protecting the so called VIP CRIMINALS looting the treasury and living the poor with nothing#

Source- http://www.punchng.com/im-sorry-ill-refund-money-zuma-tells-south-africans/

I must show ds to Bubu...all his illicit voyages must be accounted for.

It's inherent in the African man that we dont resign. In a sane country, Zuma wouldn't have waited for the court to deliver judgment before resigning.