National
EFF won't back down over 'pay back the money'─── 05:22 Fri, 19 Jun 2015
Cape Town - The Economic Freedom Fighters denied that it disrupted Parliament on Thursday, saying it would not retreat from its position that President Jacob Zuma pay back the money spent on his private home in Nkandla.
"The EFF believes that all processes have been adhered to and have thus far not yielded any result except to protect Zuma and the executive," spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said after a question and answer session with Zuma turned into a shouting match over whether they were allowed to broach the topic of Nkandla with the president.
Speaker Baleka Mbete adjourned the House and met with party whips, but the next session was just as heated and was again adjourned when the EFF continued chanting its famous refrain of "pay back the money".
The ANC and the opposition DA slammed the EFF for Thursday afternoon's events with the ANC, calling it a publicity stunt, and the DA blaming the fledgling party for letting Zuma escape accountability.
But Ndlozi said: "We shall never retreat from this position because it is based on the supremacy of the rule of law."
The party was still smarting after Zuma mocked and ridiculed the opposition about constant questions on upgrades to his home, Ndlozi said.
"Zuma did this on the eve of the announcement by Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko that Zuma must not pay any amount that was unduly spent in the Nkandla upgrades.
"Nhleko not only sought to exonerate Zuma from the Public Protector's recommendations and remedial action, he went further to say that more taxpayers money must be used to build more infrastructure in Nkandla."
The EFF believed the ANC was using its majority to silence Parliament, and abusing the institution to protect Zuma and corruption.
The party accused opposition parties of being "mobilised" to postpone holding Zuma accountable, by saying Parliament must move on to other matters of national importance.
"The DA therefore colluded with the ANC to protect Zuma from the most important accountability question on corruption, which is Nkandla."
Ndlozi said the ANC chanted "bring back the girl" to drown EFF points of order, but the Speaker did not intervene, only reacting when the EFF responded with "pay back the money".
The party, formed by expelled members of the ANC Youth League, said it would defend Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's report into the Nkandla expenditure, which recommended that Zuma pay back a reasonable portion of the over R200m spent that was not related to security.
"Wherever and whenever we meet Zuma we will ask him to do as the Public Protector said: that Zuma must pay back the money."
