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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply concerned about the continued vacillation of President Zuma regarding the fate of National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele and Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde. Last week, Public Protector Adv. Thuli Madonsela found Commissioner Cele and Minister Mahlangu-Nkabinde guilty of conduct that was improper, unlawful and amounted to maladministration. Adv. Madonsela called for action to be taken against all those implicated in her report into the dodgy Durban and Pretoria SAPS lease deals. However, neither the Presidency, nor Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa, nor Minister Mahlangu-Nkabinde have responded to the Public Protector’s findings. Each day that the President fails to take action represents a further erosion of the values on which our democracy is built.

The DA calls on Commissioner Cele and Minister Mahlangu-Nkabinde to resign as a matter of urgency. The Public Protector’s findings have rendered their positions untenable. If they do not agree to resign, President Zuma must prove his commitment to promoting and protecting the values on which our democracy is based, and dismiss them both.

In the past week, Commissioner Cele has cancelled two scheduled press conferences at which he was due to address the contents Adv. Madonsela’s report. The silence emanating from Cabinet is a damning indictment of this administration’s disregard for accountability, its belief that certain individuals are above the law and its apparent disrespect for the constitutional mandate of the Public Protector.

Of additional concern are comments reportedly made by government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi, in which he stated that, as far as government was concerned, those implicated in the Public Protector’s report are “innocent”. It is unclear why Mr Manyi felt he had the authority to make such a pronouncement given that neither Cabinet nor President Zuma have commented directly on Adv. Madonsela’s report thus far. If Mr Manyi is indeed communicating the position of Cabinet regarding the report, this will constitute a direct attack on the Office of the Public Protector, who recommended in the strongest terms that remedial action be taken against those implicated in the dodgy lease deals.

The response of this administration to the Public Protector’s report is a seminal moment for our democracy. It will indicate whether the Zuma government is serious about accountability and tackling corruption, or whether it is intent on placing the interests of individuals above its mandate of serving the people of our country.