They maintain they were acting within the rules of the legislature when they disrupted proceedings last week by calling on President Jacob Zuma to repay public money spent on upgrading his private home Nkandla.

Economic Freedom Fighter MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi says the decision not to suspend them vindicates the noisy action EFF members took in the house last week that led to the speaker Baleka Mbete calling in police to remove them.

Ndlozi maintains he and his EFF colleague will continue robustly to demand answers from the executive about public money unduly spent on Nkandla.

Constitutional experts believe the speaker was out of line calling on police to clear the house and that however disruptive the EFF MPs were, they are protected by South Africa’s basic law.

Mbete maintains she will call in police again if the EFF MPs are disorderly.

She was expected toask parliament at its next sitting today (Tuesday) to suspend the MPs who attend parliamentary session dressed in boiler suits and maids uniforms which they say shows solidarity with the poor.

She has now deferred the matter to parliament’s powers and privileges committee.

The post EFF hails decision not to suspend them appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Zuma says he’s able to this because he’s seen the provisional report into the affair by the Special Investigating Unit.

The chief whip of the ruling African National Congress is among those who’ve welcomed this development.

The controversy has run since ombudsman Thuli Madonsela reported that President Jacob Zuma had been personally enriched by some of the roughly 20 million euro security improvements to his private home in KwaZulu-Natal.

Madonsela maintains Zuma should pay some of the money back to the public purse.

The ANC’s used its majority to stall a parliamentary inquiry into the affair.

Zuma says in a letter to the Speaker Baleka Mbete that he now has the provisional report from the head of the Special Investigating Unit.

It’s given him the insight he needs to give proper consideration to the matter.

Accordingly he’ll give her a comprehensive and final report within the next 30 working days.

Chairman of the opposition Democratic Alliance’s federal executive James Selfe, welcomes Zuma’s announcement, saying it indicates some long overdue progress in the matter.

The post Zuma promises parliament he’ll report on Nkandla appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.