South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is to file an application at the Constitutional Court to order the speaker of parliament to institute impeachment proceedings against President Jacob Zuma.
Mr Malema said the bid to impeach Mr Zuma revolved around the so-called Nkandla scandal, when the court ruled last year that the president had violated the constitution and had failed to uphold his oath of office by failing to repay government money used to upgrade his rural home.
In a statement, Mr Malema said:
We approach the Constitutional Court as a last resort based on the belief that Zuma’s conduct around the Nkandla matter both inside and outside parliament, renders him unfit to hold the high office of President of the Republic of South Africa.” If the application is successful, Baleka Mbete [the speaker of the National Assembly] will have no option but to put Zuma on trial so that he can answer directly to the people of South Africa.” Mr Zuma repaid about $540,000 (£430,000) to comply with the court order.
Public funds were used to build a swimming pool, amphitheatre, visitor centre, cattle enclosure and chicken run at his home in Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province.
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