DISCUSSION:

President Jacob Zuma is making a statement in the National Assembly on the xenophobic violence which has swept across KwaZulu-Natal.
Zuma’s strategists have announced that he is to carpet down the word xenophobia and will rather emphasise that the nationwide attacks are rather a response to social pressures. “President Zuma is scheduled to make a statement on the unfortunate violence ahead of him taking oral questions in the National Assembly Thursday afternoon,” ANC chief whip Stone Sizani’s office said in a statement.
“After the President has delivered his statement, all political parties represented in the National Assembly will have an opportunity to make their declarations in reaction to the statement.”
Zuma will address MPs at 2pm on the xenophobic attacks, shortly before he is set to answer outstanding questions from last year’s chaotic August 21 sitting which was suspended after members of the Economic Freedom Fighters disrupted the President’s question and answer session.
Sizani’s office said Zuma’s statement on the attacks against foreigners would afford Parliamentarians the opportunity to voice their condemnation of the violence.
“The office of the ANC Chief Whip wishes to state that such attacks have no place in our free and democratic society and urges those responsible to immediately desist such acts of violence against our African brothers and sisters.”
In the meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters said they would use the question session to ask Zuma whether he intends repaying any of the public funds spent on improving his private homestead in Nkandla.
“That is where the question session was interrupted. So we certainly intend to return to the issue of Nkandla and paying back the money,” EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said.

VISIT this space at 2PM – Capetown time, to watch President Jacob Zuma’s live address