Categories: News

EFF Heckles Zuma As He Responds To Money Mismanagement Allegations

While South African President Jacob Zuma delivered an address, responding to allegations that he mismanaged money by using it to upgrade his private home, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) forced a suspension of the speech with heckling, according to the BBC.

Keep Up With Face2Face Africa On Facebook!

Not long before South Africa’s general elections in May, South Africa’s Protector Thuli Madonsela released a damaging report, showing that Zuma allegedly used taxpayers’ money to upgrade his private home (pictured below) in Nklanda.

At the time, Face2Face Africa reported:

“Items said to be built using public funds instead of the security upgrades the money was intended for include a visitor’s center, an amphitheater, a cattle field, a chicken run, and a swimming pool.”

Opposition party leader Helen Zille of the Democratic Alliance called for the impeachment of Zuma, but that didn’t stop him from ultimately winning in May.

Even though Zuma won the election, he is still being forced to answer for “unduly benefit[ting]” from the money. While he responded to MPs in parliament that the government will investigate the matter, Julius Malema’s party reportedly began chanting, “Pay back the money! Pay back the money!” forcing the suspension of parliament.

Shortly afterward, security was reportedly called in order to remove the EFF.

The BBC reports:

“Police entered parliament in Cape Town carrying riot shields, tear gas and batons but then aborted their plans to forcibly remove the EFF MPs.”

With 25 EFF representatives in the 400-member parliament, Malema used to be an ally of Zuma’s when he was a part of the African National Congress (ANC). Once he was ousted from the ANC back in 2012, though, Malema formed EFF, who wear red workers’ overalls to show their allegiance to the people.

Abena Agyeman-Fisher

Abena Agyeman-Fisher is the Editor-in-Chief of Face2Face Africa. Most recently, she worked for Interactive One as the Senior Editor of NewsOne, she worked for AOL as the News Programming Manager of Black Voices, which later became HuffPo Black Voices, and for the New York Times Company as an Associate Health Editor. Abena, a Spelman College graduate, has been published in Al Jazeera, the Daily Beast, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, the Grio, BlackVoices, West Orange Patch, About.com, the Source, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, Jane, and Upscale Magazines. She has interviewed top celebrities, icons, and politicians, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Civil Rights activist and diplomat Andrew Young, comedian Bill Cosby, Grammy Award-winning singer Jill Scott, actress and singer Queen Latifah, Olympic Gold winner Cullen Jones, international supermodel Alek Wek, and five-division world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather. Most recently, she served as the First Lady’s press reporter during President Barack Obama’s U.S.-Africa Summit, Young African Leaders Institute event, and the 2013 presidential trip to Senegal, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Tanzania. Abena is also a 2015 International Women's Media Foundation Africa Great Lakes Fellow, where she reported on women candidates and Chinese sweatshops in Tanzania for CNN and Refinery29.