Nkandla report: taking public funds away from South Africa’s poorest, SERI by RFI

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party on Thursday sought to minimise the damage caused by an ombudsman’s report on state-funded upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s private home. ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe dismissed calls for Zuma’s impeachment and said the officials responsible should be held to account and misspent money repaid. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had on Wednesday ordered that Zuma repay a reasonable percentage for the costs of non-security upgrades on his home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. <a href="http://www.english.rfi.fr">RFI</a>’s <a href="https://twitter.com/Daniel_Finnan">Daniel Finnan</a> spoke to Stuart Wilson, the executive director of the <a href="http://www.seri-sa.org">Socio-Economic Rights Institute</a>. He says the focus of the discussion should be the use of public funds for the president’s comfort while not adequately providing for South Africa’s poor…