South Africa President Jacob Zuma. PHOTO | FILE
By Reuters
In Summary
South African President Jacob Zuma failed to "uphold, defend
and respect" the Constitution when he ignored the order of an
anti-corruption watchdog to repay some of the $16 million spent to
upgrade his private home, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday.
After delivering a stinging rebuke to the scandal-plagued
leader, the court gave President Zuma 105 days to repay the "reasonable
cost" of non-security-related upgrades to his sprawling rural residence to his sprawling rural residence at Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal.
The unanimous ruling by the 11-judge court is the latest twist
in a six-year saga over Nkandla that now adds financial damage to the
political wounds it has already inflicted on Zuma.
It was also a clear vindication of Public Protector Thuli
Madonsela, a constitutionally mandated watchdog who was described by
chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng as a "Biblical David" fighting against the
Goliath of corruption.
The uncompromising nature of the verdict - Mogoeng described it
as a "profound lesson" for South Africa's young democracy - piles more
pressure on Zuma, already feeling the heat from a string of scandals.
Standing outside the court in downtown Johannesburg, opposition
leader Mmusi Maimane told reporters Zuma should be removed from office
and said he would table a parliamentary motion to have him impeached.
Zuma, a 73-year-old Zulu traditionalist, has been under fire
since December when his abrupt sacking of finance minister Nhlanhla Nene
sent the rand into a tail-spin.
The rand firmed to a near-four month high against the dollar as Mogoeng delivered his ruling.
The African National Congress' majority in parliament will
almost certainly give political cover against any attempt to impeach
Zuma, but the ruling may embolden opponents within the ruling party to
challenge him
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