The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has condemned ”in the strongest possible terms” the ”irresponsible and bizarre behaviour” of official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) officials — including chief whip Douglas Gibson — who carried out an on-site inspection of President Thabo Mbeki’s retirement home on Friday.
ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said the party ”rejects the lies being told by the DA about the construction of a private house for the family of President Thabo Mbeki, and condemns in the strongest possible terms the irresponsible and bizarre behaviour of DA officials who took journalists to a site in Johannesburg where the home is being built.”
The construction of the home is a private matter, said Ngonyama in a statement on Friday afternoon. ”There can be no excuse for this type of invasive behaviour, which not only infringes on the right to privacy of the family, but also raises potential security concerns.
”The ANC condemns those responsible for propagating ludicrous and patently false information about the cost to the public of this construction.”
Mbeki’s retirement home is ”mediocre” by the opulent standards of Riviera in Johannesburg, the contractor told reporters earlier on Friday. ”It’s very, very mediocre,” said Motheo Group construction director Gavin Munro. The finishes are good and the quality is good, but it is ”very modest”.
”Mrs [Zanele] Mbeki is a very modest person,” he said.
Reporters descended on the house in a panhandle in North Close on Friday morning along with DA officials who were outraged at reports that the government was footing a R22-million bill for the house.
”It is only in Zimbabwe that government funds are used generally to build a retirement home for the president,” said DA chief whip Douglas Gibson. ”If President Mbeki is paying this out of his own pocket … there might be some eyebrows raised about where he got so much money, but it’s his own business.
”If, on the other hand, public money is being used for anything other than the security arrangements, then the public has a right to know the details.”
While it could take days for Minister of Public Works Thoko Didiza to reply to parliamentary questions about the house, the president could issue a ”simple statement” indicating the exact position, he said.
No comment
Presidential spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga said the Presidency would not comment.
In a terse statement, the Department of Public Works said its work at the official and private residences of presidents and former presidents is consistent with Cabinet-approved policies on the provision of their security.
”The department regrets the inquiry [about the Mbeki house] and expresses its disappointment with continued media pursuit of these cases whose details are not for public discussions,” said departmental spokesperson Lucky Mochalibane.
Security guards stopped reporters and the DA from entering the Mbeki property on Friday.
At the time, workers were paving the long driveway between two high, electric fence-topped walls with a guard house fitted with bullet-proof glass and security cameras between two sets of wrought-iron gates.
Speaking to the group, Munro said the company has one, R7,9-million contract with a Miss Dlamini, ”who is also known as Mrs Mbeki”. This does not include the cost of the land, but does include the demolition of the existing house — thought to have been owned by a gynaecologist.
”The security element is being paid for by the Department of Public Works,” said Munro. While he would not divulge the exact amount, he said it is ”a very small proportion” of the total contract value. ”The level of security is the same as that of a diplomatic residence.”
As with most diplomatic houses, there is a ”safe area”. It is understood the walls to that room are four bricks thick with steel reinforcement. There is no secret tunnel. ”I wish there was a secret tunnel; I’d escape,” said Munro.
‘African eclectic’
Work on the property started mid-2005. Completion is expected this month. He has not seen the president at the site, but regularly sees the first lady. ”It’s her contract,” said Munro.
He knew neither the cost of the property, nor the size of the erf, but said the L-shaped, thatched-roofed house designed by Victor Peterson and Associates takes up ”substantial” space.
It has three bedrooms, each with a bathroom, and a chairlift on which someone in a wheelchair — thought to be Zanele Mbeki’s mother — can reach an upstairs bedroom.
It has a Victorian hip bath and not the ”grand” bath it was reported to contain. There is a dressing room next to the main bathroom. It has a lounge, entertainment area, a dining room, a double garage, servants’ quarters and a kitchen with melamine cupboards with granite tops.
”One lady called it African eclectic,” said Munro.
There are tiles and parquet floors throughout. All fittings are of brass, ”just like you would have in your house”. There is no gold. ”Mrs Mbeki doesn’t like shiny things,” he said. There is at least one wrought-iron chandelier.
The house is painted ”broken white” inside and white outside with stonework on some of the walls. The swimming pool is ”very small”. ”It’s a plunge pool,” said Munro.
He said Zanele Mbeki has not started interior decorating yet and will not get in a landscaper. ”Mrs Mbeki enjoys gardening. She’s doing it herself.”
Rubbishing Munro’s description of the house, a neighbour who refused to give her name said it is a beautiful, modern design. ”It’s too big for me.”
She did not know the value of her own house, but hoped it would go up when her well-known neighbours moved in. Her only problem was with the mess made in building the high wall separating the two properties.
She spoke to Mbeki just the other day, the woman said. The first lady had berated her for walking around without shoes, asking her: ”Do you want to get sick?”
”She’s lovely. She’s absolutely lovely,” the woman added. — Sapa, I-Net Bridge