[imagesource: Thembinkosi Dwayisa]

Once again, after what was a glorious reprieve, the happenings at Nkandla are back in the news.

This is because Jacob Zuma has once again lifted his leg and pissed on our country’s Constitution, openly defying the orders of the Constitutional Court, and saying he will be arrested if need be.

Following that, EFF leader Julius Malema choppered in for tea at Nkandla, because birds of a feather flock together, and few people know more about fleecing the poor than our political bigwigs.

Rather predictably, the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKVA) have now entered the equation, arriving throughout the last week at Nkandla and declaring that they were ready to do their “level best” to protect Zuma from being arrested.

Members from ANC branches in KwaZulu-Natal also pulled in, as one does.

TimesLIVE reports:

About 200 soldiers are being deployed to set up base outside Zuma’s homestead in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and will work in shifts…

By 5pm on Sunday, three unmarked buses and private vehicles carrying about 100 passengers were parked outside Zuma’s home in Nkandla by 5pm.

Mduduzi Mkhize said the MKMVA vowed to protect Zuma from arrest.

“If we allow that to happen, it means we will also suffer the same fate one day. So, as MKMVA, we are here to ensure that doesn’t happen and he is not going anywhere,” said Mkhize.

For Zuma’s sake, I hope the MK vets are more adept at driving tanks than those over at SANDF.

Mkhize went on to say that there’s “no need for the country to go to war. But we are prepared to die for Zuma.”

Charming stuff.

MKMVA spokesman Carl Niehaus, who ranks among the most embarrassing of all of Zuma’s sycophants, was also front and centre:

He revealed that soldiers would be deployed 24/7 and camp outside Zuma’s residence. He said arrangements had been made for them to be fed and “taken care of”.

Niehaus emphasised the deployment would be funded by a number of “donors”, but he wouldn’t elaborate on their identity.

“President Zuma will not be paying for this deployment. There are several business people who are prepared to donate money for this,” he said.

Given that our State Security Agency allegedly funnelled between R2,5 million and R4,5 million a month directly to Zuma, over the course of three years, you’d think the former president could at least cover some of the costs.

We can’t mention Niehaus’ name without taking a look at The Daily Maverick’s scorching takedown of the ANC’s “number one grifter”.

Rebecca Davis spoke with Niehaus (wearing his dress-up military uniform below) for the article, although there were conditions attached to the interview:

These parameters, it was tacitly understood, meant that I would not ask him about his string of fraud allegations from 2009. I would not ask him about his departure from Rhema Church owing more than half a million rand.

I would not ask him about trying to borrow money by lying that first his mother, and then his father, had died. I would not ask him about the allegation that he lived rent-free in Zimbali Lodge during the NDZ campaign on the understanding of fixing everyone up with government jobs when she won, and then skipped out on the bill overnight when she didn’t.

I would not ask him about his widely disbelieved claim to have been gang-raped in prison. I would not ask him about the multiple occasions on which he has purported to have terminal illnesses, again in order to shirk obligations.

Aside from that, they had a pleasant chat.

You can read the rest of Davis’ article here.

Zuma was summoned to appear in front of the Zondo Commission this week, starting at 10AM today, but earlier this morning, released a statement saying that he won’t be appearing.

His lawyer, Eric Mabuza, says that Zuma’s decision was not in defiance of either the commission or the Constitutional Court, as Zuma was still waiting for an outcome on his review application for Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to recuse himself.

The Zondo Commission has cost taxpayers close to R1 billion. If we can’t put the chief architect of it all behind bars, what was the point?

[sources:timeslive&dailymaverick]