“I have today sent a formal request to President Jacob Zuma, calling on him to make public sufficient proof of his alleged home loan obtained from VBS Mutual Bank to pay back the R7.8 million for non-security upgrades to his private residence in Nkandla,” Maimane said.

“While both Zuma and VBS Mutual Bank claim a home loan agreement or mortgage does exist between the two parties, there is no evidence of a such a bond registered in the deeds registry, raising the question as to whether a home loan indeed does exist.”

He said without evidence, the country could not be satisfied that Zuma complied with the Constitutional Court ruling that ordered him to personally repay taxpayer’s money spent on adding luxuries to his home.

While we recognise the right to privacy, the merits of this case are unprecedented,” Maimane said.

According to the DA, the public needed to know whether the loan existed, what the conditions thereof are, whether Zuma personally signed surety for the amount or whether somebody else did.

Maimane said it was the second time that he had written to Zuma requesting details of the loan. He went on to accuse the president of having a long history of having friends foot his bills.

Zuma for two years resisted Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s finding that he was liable for the cost of unrelated items added to his home during a security upgrade.

He finally conceded readiness to repay a portion after the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters approached the Constitutional Court, which handed down a ruling to that effect earlier in March in which it held that by side-stepping Madonsela he had flouted the law.

ANA