During his tenure as president and head of state, President Jacob Zuma never told lies, claimed MK deputy president John Hlophe, adding that this is backed up by verified "facts."
Hlophe said this during a joint sitting at Cape Town City Hall on Tuesday where MPs debated President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The former impeached judge told the house that Zuma was the most successful president South Africa has ever had.
He said Zuma's nine years as president were not nine wasted years but nine years of progress. He continued singing praises to Zuma and mentioned his successes.
"Zuma never told lies; he never claimed easy victories, and he prioritised on the ground," Hlophe said.
Zuma is also in attendance at the SONA debate.
Life expectancy rose during Zuma's years, according to Hlophe, who said this happened because of Zuma's clean governance.
"Zuma invested in education and is the only president to build new universities, in provinces that never had universities before since 1994," he said.
Hlophe said Zuma built more hospitals, roads, and schools than any other head of state in South Africa.
According to Hlophe, Zuma initiated the issue of land expropriation.
However, he blamed the then-opposition parties who are now part of the government for disrupting the motion.
In his years in office, Zuma was accused of collapsing the government by looting money for personal gain, giving out tenders to his friends and associates for bribes, and also misusing state resources.
He was impeached in 2018 following corruption allegations. It was then that Ramaphosa took over.
In response to Hlophe, DA leader John Steenhuisen said South Africa was in crisis with Zuma.
Steenhuisen said they joined the unity government because they wanted to turn the country around to move away from the looting during the "nine wasted years of Zuma.
"When an MKP MP rose for a question, Steenhuisen turned it down and said, "No, I wasted nine years listening to his leader."
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