Tuesday, 9 February 2016

SOUTH AFRICA'S ZUMA CHALLENGED IN TOP COURT




South Africa's top court is hearing an opposition case that the president should repay about 23millon dollars of state funds used to renovate his rural home.
An independent 2014 report said Jacob Zuma had "benefited unduly" from the upgrades, which include a swimming pool, chicken run and amphitheatre.
He has offered to pay some of the money back but the case is still going ahead.
Protesters, led by former Zuma ally turned fierce opponent Julius Malema, have marched to the court.
The demonstration was against "corruption and cronyism", a spokesman for his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) opposition party has also also organised its own protest outside the court in Johannesburg, where there is a strong police presence.  Mr Zuma's ANC party called the protests a "political exercise".
The constitutional court is being asked to rule on whether the government flouted the law by ignoring recommendations of the 2014 report by the anti-corruption watchdog, known as the Public Protector. 

Mr Zuma has been cleared of wrongdoing in a police report over his residence in rural Nkandla.
The hashtag #PayBackTheMoney, mirroring the slogan used by EFF members to taunt the president, has been trending in South Africa, as people comment on the court case:

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