Zuma should know better-De Lille

By Nomava Nobumba
08 March 2010

The Independent Democrats says it is shocked to hear that President Jacob Zuma has still not declared his assets months after the August 2009 deadline.

The party’s leader Patricia de Lille says all this talk of “a lack of clarity” and other confusion by the Presidency spokesperson is completely unnecessary.

“There is no grey area in the law. In fact, Zuma has got no choice because the legal precedent was set by former State President Thabo Mbeki, who declared his assets,” she said.

De Lille went on saying if Mbeki declared his, then so should Zuma.

Zuma’s office defended the president saying he did not declared his interest due to a lack of clarity on whether the needs to declare his assets.

On the issue that President Zuma is seeking legal advice, De Lille said: “It is difficult for me to believe that a legal opinion can take so many months. As far as I can tell the only possible reasons for such a lengthy delay are incompetence, inefficiency, the hope that nobody would notice or perhaps his lawyer making a comeback to the tactics of Zuma’s years-long corruption case.”