President Jacob Zuma has defied his critics on media freedom in the National Assembly, saying his government still believes in a free press.<\/p>\n
A more relaxed Zuma had free reign in the House on Thursday after the Democratic Alliance decided to join the Economic Freedom Fighters in skipping Zuma’s budget debate reply.<\/p>\n
Zuma\u00a0claimed they pride themselves that “media freedom is enshrined in the Constitution”, and that is why Durban will host the 69th World News Media Congress this month.<\/p>\n
“Media is free here. Nobody harasses it. They can say everything. It’s real freedom here. That’s why they choose to come here.”<\/p>\n
His comments come on the back of explosive leaks to the media allegedly linking the Gupta family to government officials, from a repository collated by investigative teams amaBhungane and Scorpio, known as the #GuptaLeaks.<\/p>\n
The DA cited the leaks as the reason for their boycott, and were not there to rebut.<\/p>\n
“If South Africa was a country described by the DA, I don’t know why such important people would come here and hold a conference and learn a lot about South Africa,” he told a predominantly ANC Assembly.<\/p>\n
The UDM and Cope also boycotted the debate.<\/p>\n
‘I do not hate whites’<\/strong><\/p>\n Zuma also used his reply to respond to Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, who asked Zuma on Wednesday why it seemed he “hates whites”.<\/p>\n “This is a subject that touches serious issues in this country,” Zuma said.<\/p>\n “I’m a child of the ANC. Despite my history, the ANC taught me non-racialism. That I must not be racist, and I will never be racist.”<\/p>\n However, he said that this \u00a0did not mean he can’t correct the wrongs of the past.<\/p>\n “Let us deal with things to help unite the people of this country: reconcile, forget about the past, that’s what I believe in.<\/p>\n “But there is a reality in South Africa that between us there are those who robbed others of their own possessions, and left others to be poor.”<\/p>\n He claimed he only wanted that to be corrected, not through fighting, but by talking, within the confines of the law.<\/p>\n “If there is anyone who says ‘let’s kill the whites’, I’ll be among those who will defend and protect them. I had comrades who were white. They commanded me [in uMkhonto we Sizwe].”<\/p>\n In a rare moment, Groenewald got up, and said he would accept Zuma’s proposal to talk about the land redistribution issue.<\/p>\n Zuma happily agreed, and the House clapped.<\/p>\n Zuma, Cabinet ditch violence against women debate<\/strong><\/p>\n He finished his speech by slamming Parliament’s behavior over the last few years, which he also did during a question session last year.<\/p>\n Parliament’s behaviour had been “taken to the extreme, and must help itself.”<\/p>\n He also praised his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech to the House on Wednesday, showing no public signs of any rifts in the leadup to the party’s elective conference in December.<\/p>\n Zuma got a standing ovation from most in the ANC caucus after his speech. SACP MPs though, notably Jeremy Cronin and Derek Hanekom, remained seated, and did not clap.<\/p>\n Afterwards, the House moved on to an urgent debate on violence against women, scheduled after a request from the DA.<\/p>\n Zuma, most of his Cabinet, and roughly half of the ANC caucus, left.<\/p>\n