Calls For Elections Chief Resignation Malicious — ANC
April 4, 2014
JOHANNESBURG. — The ANC expressed concern yesterday over statements by political parties calling on the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) chairperson Pansy Tlakula to resign.“The African National Congress reaffirms its confidence in the commitment, willingness and expertise of the IEC as a whole, led by its chairperson, to deliver credible, free and fair elections,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
“Any calls, therefore, for the resignation of the IEC chairperson, we view as opportunistic, malicious and designed to cast doubt over the credibility of the general election of 2014.”
Opposition parties have said they are worried about the credibility of the May 7 elections. The parties met the IEC’s management at a Pretoria hotel on Tuesday. The forum of opposition parties met to discuss Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s finding on security upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s private Nkandla homestead and controversy around Tlakula.
The forum consists of the African Christian Democratic Party, AgangSA, the Azanian People’s Organisation, the Economic Freedom Fighters, Freedom Front Plus, IFP, United Christian Democratic Party, and the United Democratic Movement. At a media briefing with the forum on Tuesday, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema called on Tlakula to resign.
“It is in the interest of the unity of this country, to avoid the possibility of civil war and disputed election results. She has seven days to step down or appropriate action will be announced regarding what is going to follow,” he said.
Mthembu said the “threats of a civil war” was a dangerous statement to make.
“The ANC calls upon all South Africans to reject attempts to delegitimise the IEC and thus create an environment that casts aspersion on its work and by necessary implication, the 2014 general election,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has accused President Zuma of undermining the public protector in his full three-page letter sent to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu. SThe DA was in possession of the letter, which it said was included in Parliament’s Announcements, Tablings and Committees (ATC) document. In the letter, President Zuma wrote there were “stark differences” in the findings and the remedial action proposed by the Public Protector’s report and that of the inter-ministerial task team.
“This is clear from the reports as well as very public pronouncements made by the respective parties,” he wrote. “In my experience in government, I have not encountered such an anomaly.”
The DA said the response seemed to be attempting to “cook up” a narrative about the validity of Public Protector’s report. The opposition party accused President Zuma of using the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) as a “king-maker finding” to break an invented deadlock between the two reports on the security upgrades to his private home in Nkandla.
Parliament confirmed on Wednesday it had received comments from President Zuma on Madonsela’s report into the upgrades.
In a statement on Wednesday, announcing Madonsela’s deadline had been met, the presidency said President Zuma had noted in his response that three state agencies or institutions — the public protector, the justice, crime prevention and security cluster of Cabinet, and the SIU — had all probed the Nkandla upgrades.
President Zuma said he would give full and proper consideration to all the matters before him and, upon receipt of the SIU report, provide Parliament with a further report on the decisive executive interventions he considered appropriate. SIU spokesperson Boy Ndala told Sapa on Wednesday that his unit’s investigation was still ongoing and would be completed at the end of next month. He said the status of the report – shown on the SIU’s website as “completed” — was not correct.
On Wednesday evening, the SIU changed the status on the report to “on-going”.
Last month, Madonsela found President Zuma and his family unduly benefited from security upgrades to his homestead and recommended that he pay back a percentage of the non-security upgrades.
The DA said yesterday it was seeking legal opinion on whether it could force President Zuma to abide by the public protector’s recommendations.
“The DA will not let the president undermine the Office of the Public Protector, or escape accountability,” the party said.
“He owes South Africa a full explanation and Parliament must now use its powers to ensure that this happens.”
— Sapa.
 |
| Republic of South Africa Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission Pansy Tlakula. |
JOHANNESBURG. — The ANC expressed concern yesterday over statements by political parties calling on the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) chairperson Pansy Tlakula to resign.“The African National Congress reaffirms its confidence in the commitment, willingness and expertise of the IEC as a whole, led by its chairperson, to deliver credible, free and fair elections,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
“Any calls, therefore, for the resignation of the IEC chairperson, we view as opportunistic, malicious and designed to cast doubt over the credibility of the general election of 2014.”
Opposition parties have said they are worried about the credibility of the May 7 elections. The parties met the IEC’s management at a Pretoria hotel on Tuesday. The forum of opposition parties met to discuss Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s finding on security upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s private Nkandla homestead and controversy around Tlakula.
The forum consists of the African Christian Democratic Party, AgangSA, the Azanian People’s Organisation, the Economic Freedom Fighters, Freedom Front Plus, IFP, United Christian Democratic Party, and the United Democratic Movement. At a media briefing with the forum on Tuesday, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema called on Tlakula to resign.
“It is in the interest of the unity of this country, to avoid the possibility of civil war and disputed election results. She has seven days to step down or appropriate action will be announced regarding what is going to follow,” he said.
Mthembu said the “threats of a civil war” was a dangerous statement to make.
“The ANC calls upon all South Africans to reject attempts to delegitimise the IEC and thus create an environment that casts aspersion on its work and by necessary implication, the 2014 general election,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has accused President Zuma of undermining the public protector in his full three-page letter sent to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu. SThe DA was in possession of the letter, which it said was included in Parliament’s Announcements, Tablings and Committees (ATC) document. In the letter, President Zuma wrote there were “stark differences” in the findings and the remedial action proposed by the Public Protector’s report and that of the inter-ministerial task team.
“This is clear from the reports as well as very public pronouncements made by the respective parties,” he wrote. “In my experience in government, I have not encountered such an anomaly.”
The DA said the response seemed to be attempting to “cook up” a narrative about the validity of Public Protector’s report. The opposition party accused President Zuma of using the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) as a “king-maker finding” to break an invented deadlock between the two reports on the security upgrades to his private home in Nkandla.
Parliament confirmed on Wednesday it had received comments from President Zuma on Madonsela’s report into the upgrades.
In a statement on Wednesday, announcing Madonsela’s deadline had been met, the presidency said President Zuma had noted in his response that three state agencies or institutions — the public protector, the justice, crime prevention and security cluster of Cabinet, and the SIU — had all probed the Nkandla upgrades.
President Zuma said he would give full and proper consideration to all the matters before him and, upon receipt of the SIU report, provide Parliament with a further report on the decisive executive interventions he considered appropriate. SIU spokesperson Boy Ndala told Sapa on Wednesday that his unit’s investigation was still ongoing and would be completed at the end of next month. He said the status of the report – shown on the SIU’s website as “completed” — was not correct.
On Wednesday evening, the SIU changed the status on the report to “on-going”.
Last month, Madonsela found President Zuma and his family unduly benefited from security upgrades to his homestead and recommended that he pay back a percentage of the non-security upgrades.
The DA said yesterday it was seeking legal opinion on whether it could force President Zuma to abide by the public protector’s recommendations.
“The DA will not let the president undermine the Office of the Public Protector, or escape accountability,” the party said.
“He owes South Africa a full explanation and Parliament must now use its powers to ensure that this happens.”
— Sapa.
No comments:
Post a Comment