The final report into the more than R200-million upgrade at President Jacob Zuma's private home in Nkandla has yet to be released, but Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has already had to defend her office from both the ruling and opposition parties.
Independent newspapers has reported that Madonsela's provisional Nkandla report clears Zuma of any wrongdoing, but paints a picture of senior government officials bending over backwards to please the president, without his instructions.
The state's security cluster, which includes state security, police and defence, was given until November 8 to respond to the provisional report.
Madonsela's spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said the public protector normally shares interim reports with a specified deadline for those given access to it. This period is normally up to 10 working days or two weeks, but parties can request an extension. The security cluster had requested a two-week extension to go through the report, but was granted two days.
The security cluster made a special request to have access to the report first, "with a view to commenting on whether or not it compromises the security of the president", according to the public protector.
Other parties, including respondents and complainants, will get the report soon after the security cluster returns it to Madonsela, but they will view the report "at the public protector's offices, in the presence of members of the investigation team, due to security reasons".
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe was irked by a Sunday Tribune report that Madonsela told the newspaper that some South Africans would be "disappointed" with the report's findings.
"This removes neutrality of the public protector and her conduct suggests that she is protecting interests of a particular section of society."
Madonsela plans to make the final report public, but it could be a month before this happens. –