South African President, Mr Jacob Zuma, on Monday denied allegations that he had sought residency in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“I would like to reiterate that I do not own any property outside South Africa.
“Further, I have not requested anybody to buy a property for me or on my behalf abroad,” Zuma said in reply to questions in Parliament.
The president also confirmed that he had never sought any residency outside South Africa, either for himself or his immediate family.
The Sunday Times had alleged that its reporters made an investigative trip to Dubai in 2016, during which several sources told the newspaper that the Indian Gupta family had bought Zuma a palace worth 25.6 million dollars.
The newspaper also based the report on leaked e-mails that were believed to have originated from the Guptas, who allegedly kept close ties with Zuma.
The alleged emails indicated that Zuma would leave South Africa to live in Dubai after retirement.
The Presidency has also refuted the report, saying Zuma did not have any plans to leave South Africa, and that he would settle in his Nkandla home, KwaZulu-Natal Province, on retirement.
Zuma has been accused of allowing the Guptas to exert undue influence in the appointment of cabinet ministers and the awarding of lucrative contracts with state-owned companies.
Both Zuma and the Guptas have denied the charge.
In the Monday reply to questions about a request by former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, for remedial action regarding state capture, Zuma said he had instituted review proceedings against the action.
He said that the matter was provisionally set down for a hearing in court from Oct. 24 to 26.
“A proper investigation on these allegations will be conducted once the court has clarified the contentious issues,’’ Zuma said.
Source: Xinhua/NAN