South African President Jacob Zuma Agreed To Repay $24M Of Public Money
South African President Jacob Zuma is currently under fire over alleged misuse of state money for 'unlawful enrichment' according to a BBC News article.
After an embarrassing admission of the his lawyer about the him being wrong to ignore the investigative report titled "Secure in Comfort" released by Public Protector, the country's independent anti-corruption watchdog, Zuma appears conceding to incessant public demand for him to repay 216 million rand (then $24 million) for upgrading his private rural estate.
As the scandal unfolds, critics are quick to tie Zuma to a serious violation of the constitution which could potentially undermine his leadership and, possibly, impeachment.
"...The public protector may make binding orders, the President and the national assembly acted in breach of the constitution by defying those orders, those are the principles with which we submit are at the heart of this case," remarked Senior counsel for the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Wim Trengove as quoted saying by ABC.
The heart of the issue: Public Protector's Secure in Comfort
In 2014, Public Protector head Thuli Madonsela released a 400-page long report (Secure in Comfort) on Zuma's Nkandla estate- a private homestead which had benefited from state-funded "security upgrades" including an amphitheater, cattle enclosure, and swimming pool as mentioned in a report by Newsweek.
The report also demanded that the President pay back all the money used for inappropriate spending. Zuma has repeatedly denied that he ordered the lavish renovations using public money. While the President offered to settle some of the money spent, firebrand opposition rejected the offer until the authority of the Public Protector is reinforced.
The constitutional court, however, should come up with a decision whether to make the repayment legally binding on the President as stated in a CNN report.
