By: ANG Reporter
In a surprising admission, the ANC has acknowledged lying in parliament to defend former President Jacob Zuma’s controversial R3.9 million “fire pool” at his Nkandla residence in KwaZulu-Natal. Fikile Mbalula, the party’s secretary-general, made this admission during an address at Mjindi Town Hall in Barberton, Mpumalanga, on Sunday.
During the Nkandla scandal in 2014, Thuli Madonsela, the former public protector, found that Zuma should repay some of the taxpayers’ money spent on security measures at Nkandla. Government officials, including the then-minister of police Nathi Nhleko, public works minister Thulas Nxesi, and deputy minister of public works Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, justified the construction of the swimming pool, describing it as necessary for firefighting.
Madonsela’s Secure in Comfort report revealed that Zuma had improperly benefited from excessive government upgrades to his home and should repay a “reasonable percentage” of around R20 million for some of the work.
Mbalula admitted that the ANC initiated an ad hoc committee to investigate the scandal, where the pool was referred to as a “fire pool.” He acknowledged the lies and stated, “People lost their careers because of that thing.” The admission comes amid recent tensions between the ANC and Zuma, who declared he would not vote or campaign for the ANC in the upcoming general elections, opting to support the newly formed Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Civil society leaders expressed concern over Mbalula’s admission, characterizing it as defending corruption and an insult to the Constitution. They called on South Africans to vote based on their experiences and ethical leadership in the upcoming 2024 national and provincial government elections.
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