S. African opposition threaten Zuma with court
South Africa's opposition party said Monday it would launch a court battle to try to force President Jacob Zuma to pay back money lavished on his private residence.
The $24-million (22.7-million-euro) "security upgrade" to Zuma's rural home in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province has become the focus of accusations of government corruption.
"If the president goes on to not pay back the money, (we) would take him to court over the matter," Mmusi Maimane, parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance, told reporters in Johannesburg.
The leader of South Africa's main opposition party, Democratic Alliance, leader Musi Maimane, speaks to the press during a protest on February 4, 2015 ©Gianluigi Guercia (AFP/File)
Maimane described the spending on Zuma's house as "a poster for corruption", adding "the president must pay."
Last week, Zuma struck a defiant note in parliament, saying he had no plans to repay the money.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, the country's ombudswoman, found in 2014 that Zuma and his family had "unduly benefited" from the work on his home, which included a swimming pool, and recommended he repay some of the cash.
Under public pressure, Zuma then appointed the minister of police to determine how much he should repay.
The minister, who is a Zuma appointee, has not yet made a recommendation.
Zuma's supporters accuse architects and contractors of inflating costs, while critics say the president must have been aware of what was happening at his own home.
