S Africa parliament failed to hold Zuma accountable

South Africa's top court yesterday ruled parliament failed to hold President Jacob Zuma accountable for using public money for private home upgrades, a move that could lead to impeachment proceedings.

The opposition had gone to the Constitutional Court arguing that the Speaker of parliament failed to enforce the appropriate processes to hold Zuma accountable.

He had failed to abide by recommendations made by the anti-corruption watchdog in 2014 over refurbishments at his personal home in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province that used $15 million (12 million euros) of taxpayers' money.

The scandal came to a dramatic climax when the Constitutional Court last year found the president guilty of violating his oath of office by refusing to pay back the money.

"We conclude that (National) Assembly did not hold the president to account," said Constitutional Court judge Chris Jafta.

"The failure by the National Assembly to make rules regulating removal of the president... constitutes a violation" of the constitution, the court said.

It ordered that the National Assembly "must comply" with the constitution to make rules that could be used for the removal of the president "without delay".

Defeated in court and facing mounting public criticism, Zuma later relented and paid $500,000, a sum set by the treasury following last year's ruling.

In power since 2009, Zuma stepped down last week as president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party after a 10 year term marked by numerous damning court judgements against him.