President Zuma continues to account to Parliament

Thursday, December 11, 2014

By More Matshediso

Pretoria - Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, says President Jacob Zuma has continuously fulfilled his role of accounting to Parliament.

“Cabinet would like to clarify the misperception that President Jacob Zuma has refused to answer questions in Parliament … He has been answering written and oral questions posed to him by the members in both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces,” said Minister Radebe.

Speaking on Thursday during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Pretoria, the Minister said President Zuma went to orally answer questions in the National Assembly on 21 August 2014, however, Honourable Members disrupted him while answering the 3rd of 6 questions posed to him.

Minister Radebe said Cabinet was not aware of any Order Paper in the National Assembly which had scheduled the President to answer oral questions after the disruption of his oral replies. 

“Therefore it cannot be true that the President has refused to answer questions in the National Assembly.”

He explained that the President was not a member of the National Assembly and attended Parliament when he had called a joint sitting or when invited to do so by the National Assembly or the National Council of Provinces.

He added that the next time President Zuma would appear in Parliament would be on 12 February, when he would delivery his State of the Nation Address.

Cabinet had also noted efforts by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to interact with political parties in the National Assembly, following chaotic scenes recently. – SAnews.gov.za