If recent radio reports are to be believed the ANC in its desperate plea to drum up on its lost support, has managed to convince its President Jacob Zuma to ‘pull a rabbit out of the hat!’
Zuma has announced that he is prepared to pay back some of the money that was spent at his Nkandla ‘Palatial Homestead’ on non security upgrades.
Apparently in the proposal that he has made it is stated as a prerequisite that the Auditor General and the Minister of Finance is to determine the amount that he has to repay (Both being either directly and or indirectly ‘appointed’ by him – so why would they rule to his disadvantage)
One can safely conclude that this sudden change of heart is yet another trick, manoeuvre, strategy, plan, ruse, tactic, scheme, gambit and or stratagem by the ANC to try to restore its lost public confidence.
Ironically the announcement comes weeks before the matter is supposed to be in the Constitutional Court for ruling but most importantly it comes days before Zuma is supposed to be delivering his State of The Nation Address (SONA) during the opening of Parliament this year.
It can be guaranteed that the announcement was made to pre-empt a disruption of the delivery of his speech especially so by the EFF as it did last year, but whether this announcement is in any way enough will only be seen, to prevent a disruption of his speech.
Unfortunately for him, the money spent on his Nkandla home is not the only reason why the citizens of this country want him to vacate his seat and power that he exerts over them. There are many other reasons to demand his immediate ‘falling from power!’
After years of lengthy discussion, commissions of inquiry determining that he does not have to even pay back one cent (Ministerial Commission of Inquiry) he now has decided that he should pay back some money.
The immediate question that needs to be answered is – if and when he does decide to pay back the money, where is the money going to come from? As President he earns approximately R 2.75 million per annum, and this is hardly enough for him to be able to use some of it to pay back the money!
It would therefore be logical to assume that the money would be coming from another source! Would that be money misappropriated, through corruptive actions derived, or even a donation from China?
At the end of the day with the Rand being so weak what would $10 million be for the Chinese to pay for South Africa, as it already has it in its corner. That would give Zuma at the current rate of exchange in excess of R 170 million and that would buy ‘support’ by him showing such a kind gesture but at the end of the day, the fact that he claims to personally pay back some of the money defeated again as the money would not be coming from his own pocket.
Or would it possibly be the Russians paying for it seeing that Parliament has now passed the Nuclear Power development and at the end of the day Russia is to be the beneficiary in amount exceeding R 1 trillion?
Whatever money is paid back it can be guaranteed that it would not be coming from Zuma’s personal bank account as if it does it will just confirm that he has accumulated resources that he never earned lawfully, and he is not going to open himself up for investigation as to explain the source of the money!
If in any way an amount is determined eventually of how much he should actually pay back, the amount recommended by the Public Protector in her report should be the amount that is repaid and nothing but that! After all she is a Section 9 Institution who operates independently and without fear or any favour.
Whatever happens, we can rest assure that this is nothing but a ploy to drum up support in whatever possible way the ANC can – it has failed on so many levels, that it now has to try and reach out for the most contentious matter that lies close to the heart of all in South Africa to try and regain support.
The bottom line of it all is when he pays back whatever he will pay back he then finally would be admitting that he used taxpayer’s money to personally benefit, so even if he does pay back the money he still admits to ‘stealing’ from government and now paying it back for some macabre and sinister reason!
How petty that can be – the problem is that they underestimate the intelligence of any educated mind in South Africa!