House Chairperson, I think it is important that we note that the proposal was sparked by an article that appeared in the Mail & Guardian. That is the first issue. That article is the one that drove hon Trollip to propose legislation whose purpose is to regulate the President's declarations.
The second issue that we need to note is that the committee and the ANC felt that there are currently mechanisms in place that cover this area, and these are such that matters can be reported to the Public Protector.
Lastly, it is important to note that we viewed this proposal as an attack on the President himself and his family. It sought to create the impression that members of the President's family are corrupt and their affairs therefore need to be regulated. It can't be correct and it can't be allowed, and we will not apologise, House Chairperson, for taking this stance as the ANC.
It is important that we note that there is no basis for proposing this legislation, because the current code of ethics is sufficient to cover this, and we raised this matter in the committee.
The issue is also that there is no court in the country that has found even one member of the family of President Zuma to be corrupt. I therefore urge the opposition to stop creating the impression among the public that members of President Zuma's family are corrupt. It is wrong. You can't continue to do that.
I think it is important for us as members of the House and as South Africans to understand that President Zuma and his families are members of the public; therefore, they are protected by the Constitution. This abuse of President Zuma and his family is unjustifiable and wrong. He is a member of society and a human being, and therefore the Constitution of the country protects him. The continuation by the opposition and members of the public to spread the notion that the President does not have human rights or standing in terms of the Constitution is wrong. The fact that he is the President does not mean that he cannot be protected by the laws of this country. We have the responsibility as the ANC and as members of this House to make sure that everybody is protected, including the President himself. The other issue I need to correct, hon Trollip, is in regard to the apology that ANC put in the committee. This was in particular to one member, who said incorrectly in the meeting that we did not respect the Constitution. In response to that I, as the leader of the ANC in the committee, stood up to apologise and I withdrew that statement. But we never said anything else, and we do not withdraw anything or regret rejecting that proposal. [Time expired.] [Applause.]