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President Jacob Zuma does not own any property outside South Africa and has not requested anybody to buy property for him abroad, including Dubai.
And he will wait for “a proper investigation” into allegations that his son Duduzane, members of the executive, ambassadors and senior officials have been implicated in capturing the state before taking action.
This was stated by Zuma in his written replies to Parliamentary questions on Monday.
Dubai
Cope MP Willie Madisha asked Zuma whether he had sought residency of the United Arab Emirates for himself or his family.
Madisha also asked whether he had purchased any property there, including the more technical question of whether “any person or entity had purchased a residence on his behalf in the emirate”.
Zuma referred Madisha back to a statement that his office issued in response to a Sunday Times article on June 4 that alleged that he owned “a palace in Dubai”.
“I would like to reiterate that I do not own any property outside South Africa,” Zuma said.
“I have not requested anybody to buy a property for me or on my behalf abroad. I confirm that I have not sought any residency outside South Africa, either for myself or my immediate family.”
The presidency called the Sunday Times allegations “a fabrication”.
State capture
Another Cope MP, Deidre Carter, posed the questions on state capture.
She referenced the following reports and events that “collaborate the content of the specified reports and implicate his son, members of the executive, ambassadors and senior officials”:
• The report of the Public Protector entitled State of Capture;
• The report of the probe sponsored by the SA Council of Churches entitled Unburdening Panel;
• The report compiled by academics entitled Betrayal of the Promise: How the Nation is Being Stolen; and
• The publication of countless emails – known as the GuptaLeaks.
Carter asked whether Zuma believed that his delay in taking action in this regard and the response from Cabinet that all persons were presumed innocent until proven guilty were adequate, “despite evidence that suggested that, on the balance of probabilities, unethical and unlawful conduct has been committed”.
Read: 'Four comrades have owned up, yes four' - Mantashe on #GuptaLeaks
She also asked him which steps he intended to take in respect of the reports and emails.
Zuma stuck to his “government’s position” that any person, “including the authors of the reports referred to who have information about any wrongdoing by any individual should inform the law-enforcement agencies so that investigations can be undertaken”.
He explained that the Public Protector’s report, State of Capture, only made “inconclusive observations”, not “findings against any person”.
The report called for an investigation of the allegations.
“I have instituted review proceedings against the remedial action of the Public Protector and the matter is provisionally set down for a hearing in court from October 24 to 26. A proper investigation on these allegations will be conducted once the Court has clarified the contentious issues.”
Zuma concluded that it was his “considered view” that this was “the proper and lawful way to deal with all the allegations of unlawful conduct”.
