“Our Parliament has effectively become a corruption endorsing institution, which rubber stamps Luthuli House decisions to protect Mr Zuma.” Said Mkhuleko Hlengwa MP, IFP Youth Brigade National Chairperson, during the Youth Brigade Music Festival in Ulundi whilst campaigning for an upcoming by-election. Hlengwa was reacting to Parliaments acceptance of the Ad Hoc Committees Report on Nkandla.
“We are faced with a predicament of a Parliament that is now officially a lame duck, which no longer derives its mandate from the Constitution but rather receives orders from Luthuli House. The ruling party has effectively abused the electoral responsibility given to it in the May 7 elections. Their primary interest is to protect Mr Zuma instead of serving our people,” said Hlengwa.
“The Nkandla report is a travesty of justice. It cannot be that Parliament accepts a report of a flawed process, that goes to the extent of undermining Chapter 9 Institutions like the Public Protector. Parliament may have accepted this scam of a report but South Africans in general in their millions must reject it to restore the integrity of Parliament and the credibility of our democracy,” Hlengwa said.
Hlengwa added that “The bottom line is that Mr Zuma must pay back the money. It is as simple as that. We are already paying him a hefty salary with lucrative benefits and perks. Therefore, the least he can
do is to pay back what he owes us, and not to take advantage of an already stretched taxpayer. If he has any honour, even if its at one percent, he must pay. Finish and klaar.”
With regards to the pandemonium that broke out in Parliament on Thursday evening Hlengwa said “Thursday’s events are highly regrettable and tragic from all angles. Political debate must never be countered with a blatant abuse of state machinery to bully the opposition. South Africa is fast becoming a police state, and regressing to apartheid tendencies. Whilst both sides of the parliamentary aisle must bear some responsibility for the continued chaos in the house; the use of the police is the worst kind of remedial action that can be prescribed. Police must be deployed to deal with criminals in the streets. Parliamentarians are not criminals. The ruling party must fight its own political battles and stop being a bunch of cry babies that turn to the police every time they feel the heat of political debate.”
“The IFP has run a clean government in Ulundi, and well beyond its boundaries. We have a good story to tell. Our track record is the envy of the world. Our legacy is service delivery and people centred development. We therefore once again humble ourselves before the people seeking their mandate to serve their interests,” concluded Hlengwa
