Will Zuma explain R45m legal bill for taxpayers?

President Jacob Zuma is expected to reply to opposition criticism on Thursday afternoon‚ on issues including the massive R45 million the Presidency has spent on legal fees in the last six years defending court action in the Constitutional Court‚ the Supreme Court of Appeal and various High Courts across the country.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane‚ during the budget vote debate on the Presidency on Wednesday‚ said: “We cannot support a Presidency budget that has spent R45m of public money — the equivalent of 375 RDP (reconstruction and development programme) houses — on legal fees since 2009 to fight Mr Zuma’s battles in court.

“We cannot support a Presidency budget that saw R110m wasted on an arms deal whitewash.”

Zuma was also asked to apologise for violating the Constitution by failing to implement Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action on Nkandla and pay back some of the money spent on nonsecurity features at his Nkandla home.

While it is not clear from budget documents where the legal fees are paid — either by the Presidency or the Justice Department — it is of interest that support services for the President and the Deputy President have increased from R34m in 2005 to R118m in 2015-16.

If Zuma indeed responds to matters mentioned in the debate‚ which he does not always do‚ he will also be expected to respond to the decision of the High Court in Pretoria that found the dropping of 783 charges of fraud and corruption against him was irrational‚ and set aside effectively reinstating them.

The African National Congress contends that the charges have not been reinstated while the DA contends that they have.