#SorryNotSorry

Opposition parties are making that call knowing that it’s a call for the ANC to tear itself apart. It would be a sick organisation that will take action because the main opposition party or the EFF is calling for it.

– Gwede Mantashe

You know politicians are amenable to people who follow rumours. The NEC can’t have an NEC meeting that Malema knows about and I don’t know about.

– Mantashe

If you are amenable to rumours, they will use you.

– Mantashe [In response to EFF leader Julius Malema’s claim: “We are reliably told that the so-called @MyANC officials asked Zuma to resign and he refused. Ramaphosa was the one leading the charge.”]

We’re just a party, standing in front of the people, asking them to love us

We are not a party of saints, we are a party of human beings. From time to time [we] will commit mistakes

– Mantashe

Opposition parties can raise that every month. In our view there is no basis (for the president’s removal) in the judgment.

– Mantashe

Wait, wasn’t it Shaggy who sang ‘It wasn’t me’…?

I never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the Republic. While correct in law at the time the approach was subsequently demonstrated to be contrary to the Constitution.

– President Jacob Zuma in his apology speech on 1 April

I wish to reiterate that any action that has been found not to be in keeping with the Constitution happened because of a different approach and different legal advice.

– Zuma

I never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the Constitution.

– Zuma

It was never my intention not to comply with the remedial action taken against me by the Public Protector or to disregard her office.

– Zuma

The intention was not in pursuit of corrupt ends or to use state resources to unduly benefit me and my family.

– Zuma

We ANC enough remorse around here

The Constitutional Court judgment is a statement that we have missed a step. We must retrace our steps [and] we must recommit ourselves that we will always do that which is consistent with the Constitution. We have got to everything in our power to ensure that the ANC does not lose touch with what South Africans feel, for if the ANC does that it will cease to be the ANC.

– David Makhura

I am not a political analyst, but I am now driven to ask: “Dear Comrade President, don’t you think your continued stay as President will only serve to deepen the crisis of confidence in the government of the country?” And bluntly, if not arrogantly; in the face of such persistently widespread criticism, condemnation and demand, is it asking too much to express the hope that you will choose the correct way that is gaining momentum, to consider stepping down?

– Rivonia Triallist Ahmed Kathrada in letter to Zuma

They are having sleepless nights plotting his demise

I heard about a white man, I don’t know where he gets off, he too was speaking about me. All of a sudden everyone thinks their opinion matters.

– Zuma

There is a big storm brewing. People are spending sleepless nights plotting my demise.

– Zuma

If you don’t have anything nice to say… say it in Parliament

Just listen to superior logic! Bloody voting cattles!

– EFF’s Julius Malema

As we told Mbete today, we are far from finished on this matter.

– The DA’s Mmusi Maimane, following the Parliamentary debate regarding removal of Zuma from office

We are not going to be part of this useless mess of Parliament.

– Malema delivers a parting shot.

Be ready for what’s coming.

– Malema

You have voted against the people of South Africa… You are traitors all.

– Malema on the failed bid to remove Zuma

Stop thinking for your stomach. Vote with your brains.

– Malema

Is that the best sweep you can come up with? Oh, God, it was terrible.

– EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in response to ANC MP Mmamoloko Kubayi’s contribution to the Parliamentary debate.

Today, it will be recorded that ANC Members of Parliament chose to defend a crooked, broken president instead of the Constitution and the rule of law. Today will signal once and for all that the ANC has lost its way and there’s absolutely no way back.

– Maimane

Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer. While our attention today focuses on a large and malignant tumour, we know that under the surface, the disease has replicated itself in every cell.

– Maimane

Every time you defend your president, you send out a signal that the ANC is rotten to the core.

– Maimane

Will you please close the door from the outside, Mr Zuma?

Parliament must put its house in order and do the right thing. It was quite clear from the start what was needed. If there is something wrong, you fix it. Our people were able to change the whole system of apartheid and establish democracy.

– Max Sisulu

The South African people will have to physically make Zuma step down, through whatever revolutionary means possible.

– EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

It’s in all our interests that the president steps aside.

– Former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.

My name’s Baleka, but I’m not running anywhere

You are not supposed to be the presiding officer here, everything you do is illegal. Step down so that we can have a rational debate today.

– EFF’s Floyd Shivambu during calls for Speaker Baleka Mbete to step down

There’s a difference between saying a particular action is inconsistent with the Constitution [and] saying you went out knowingly and violated the Constitution. Those are two different things… May I also publicly say that I will not, nor do I believe there will be a reason shortly to decide to resign, so I am not considering resigning.

– Mbete

I don’t know who owes the public protector an apology. About what?

– Mbete

0 out of 10, Mr President, try again

Even if one has to buy your excuse that you have acted on the wrong advice, the buck still stops with you. You should take the blame and resign. Your apology is not accepted, resign.

– Author Molifi Tshabalala

Given the ruling made, the president can no longer be considered a fit and proper person to remain the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence Force, nor can any of the parliamentary members who so stubbornly protected him be considered fit and proper persons to hold office as members of Parliament.

– Pikkie Greeff, SANDF

“Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the gingerbread man.” Now, that’s a nice story but it’s not that good if you’re the president. It’s not about your ability to evade other people deciding what you should do. It’s your ability to lead, which is very different. It’s not the gingerbread man. It’s the leader of a people/of a nation. It’s living out an oath that you took when you assumed the presidency for the second time on May 24, 2014 and an oath which sadly a court had to remind you that you had taken. I think it’s a deep tragedy.

– Trevor Manuel

The church needs to be involved because these are the issues on people’s minds. [The judgment] shows that in South Africa, nobody is above the law.

– Father Russell Pollitt, Jesuit Institute

From the start, he demeaned the public protector and frustrated her enquiries. He refused to answer her questions fully or at all. He questioned her methodology. He appointed other persons and institutions to investigate what she had already investigated, with the deliberate intention of calling into question the findings she had made, and the remedial action she had ordered.

– DA MP James Selfe in response to Zuma’s claim that he always intended to pay back the money

Say what?

I solemnly swear that I will be faithful to the Republic of South Africa, and will obey, uphold, serve and maintain the Constitution and all other law of the Republic.

– Zuma’s oath of office

The president has thus failed to uphold, defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

– The ConCourt judgment

The Presidency wishes to correct media reports wrongly stating that the judgment by the Constitutional Court found that President Jacob Zuma had broken his oath of office. The Constitutional Court did not make such a declaratory order. In fact, whereas the counsel for the EFF, the Applicant, specifically asked for the Constitutional Court to declare that the president had acted in violation of his oath of office, the Constitutional Court did not grant a declaratory order in those terms. […] We wish to request the media to report accurately and use the precise words of the Constitutional Court judgment on the matter in order not to mislead the public.

– Bongani Majola, spokesperson for the presidency.

There’s got to be a pony somewhere under this manure

You may give up on political parties, but don’t give up on South Africa.

– Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, reportedly said to Zwelinzima Vavi

It (the judgment) strengthens our case. There is no more room left for him (Motsoeneng) to manoeuvre.

– Democratic Alliance (DA) spokeswoman on communications, Phumzile van Damme

We are not an animal farm, we have not turned into a banana republic.

– Zwelinzima Vavi after the judgment was delivered

I have now gone through the Constitutional Court decision on the Nkandla matter. Heavy, heavy. Heavy! Our constitutional democracy is alive.

– Tito Mboweni

True Love Waits

It takes a real man to humble himself in front of the nation and apologise. People must accept the president’s apology and move on from this Nkandla debacle.

– Njabulo Majola from Vuma in Ntumeni.

Those that want Zuma to step down don’t know what they are talking about. We, his supporters, are the ones who will say when he must step down.

– Felintweyakhe Mhlongo from Nkandla.

We have seen a lot of development here and it is all because of Zuma. We can see what he has done for us. If he saw that he made a mistake and apologised for it then we support him.

– Anton Dludla from Eshowe

While I have been given the task to lead the country, even if you are not a Zuma, regardless of who you are… let me lead you.

– Zuma

One-line wonders

You have raped this country.

– Overheard in Parliament. Source: @EWNreporter

Dlamini said touching Zuma will destroy the ANC. Gwede says firing him will lead to the ANC tearing itself apart. So [the] Constitution can be torn apart.

– Zwelinzima Vavi

If you’re not very angry about Zuma, try to understand that what he has done is raped the country and then blamed it for wearing a short skirt.

– @Jonathan_Witt, Twitter

Our sign language friend is easier to follow than Zuma.

– Cartoonist Jerm

Zuma speech: the equivalent of listening to someone scratching on a blackboard. It is so AWFUL.

– Author Margie Orford.

Msholozi had 700 charges he’s avoided testing in court. If Nkandla is anything to go by, he’s gonna need a Minister of Apologies.

– Chester Missing.

Too many fibs. Going to party now.

– Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos on Twitter, during Zuma’s apology speech on Friday night.

It’s a gutless whitewash.

– Gary van Staden, political analyst at NKC African Economics, on Zuma’s apology speech.

The last – and first – word

The late journalist Mandy Roussouw’s original report on Nkandla in 2009. She died aged 33. DM

Photo: President Jacob Zuma (Greg Nicolson)