President Jacob Zuma has accepted the Public Protector’s findings on the leases for two new police headquarters — and a recommendation of remedial action — reported the Sunday Tribune.
He did so in a letter to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, her spokesperson Kgalelo Masibi told the newspaper.
Madonsela was “happy” with the response, but urged Zuma to take action.
She told the Sunday Tribune, she expected Parliament to play an oversight role if no action was taken.
Masibi said Madonsela expected Zuma to “weigh the transgression and decide on the remedial action to be taken within a reasonable time frame”.
Improper and invalid
Madonsela has given the Department of Public Works and the police 30 days to submit action plans to her office and 60 days to implement remedial actions.
Madonsela has found the lease agreements for the police headquarters in Pretoria and Durban improper and invalid. Her findings implicated police chief General Bheki Cele and Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde of wrongdoing.
Madonsela said in July the Durban lease would have been worth R1.16-billion over 10 years, and that of the Middestad Building in Pretoria R604-million over the same period.
DA lays charges
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has laid criminal charges on Friday Cele, Mahlangu-Nkabinde, businessman Roux Shabangu, and Public Works director general Siviwe Dongwana, DA federal chairperson Wilmot James and justice and constitutional development spokesperson Debbie Schafer said in a statement.
James and Schafer said the charges laid against Cele were brought under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and the Government Immovable Asset Management Act.
Mahlangu-Nkabinde had been accused of contravening the Public Protector Act by failing to cooperate with the Public Protector and continuing to implement the lease agreements.
The DA said it had also laid charges against her and Shabangu under the Intimidation Act for their treatment of Dongwana.
The party had laid charges against him for allegedly contravening PFMA and Treasury regulations by failing to report to the Treasury and the Auditor-General the reasons for deviating from a competitive tender process.
“We have waited for the president to take appropriate action, but after a long silence all that has been forthcoming was an announcement on Friday that he would submit his ‘preliminary response’ to the National Assembly next Friday, and that he believes there are ‘some aspects that … need further clarity’,” said James and Schafer.
Although Zuma expressed support for Chapter Nine institutions and his commitment to transparency and good governance, he failed to act accordingly, the DA said. — Sapa