60 years since the Sharpeville Massacre. Photo: Supplied
The Special Investigating Unit is confident it will present its final report on security upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home early next week.
“It has now received responses from all persons from whom it had requested answers to certain questions it had posed to them,” SIU spokesperson Boy Ndala said in a statement on Monday. “As a result it is finalising its report.” The report would be presented to Zuma.
Public spending on security upgrades at Zuma’s private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal have turned into one of the major controversies of the Zuma presidency, as costs escalated to R246-million and it emerged that the project included a pool (dubbed a firepool by government), an amphitheatre, and a chicken run.
In March, public protector Thuli Madonsela found Zuma and his family had unduly benefited from the upgrades and should pay for some of it out of his own pocket. Zuma declined to respond to Madonsela’s report in full within the required fortnight and said instead he would wait for the SIU’s findings.
On July 5, the ANC chief whip’s office said Zuma had received the provisional SIU report and would provide National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete with a final and comprehensive response within 30 days.
The president missed the 30-day deadline. At the time the presidency said the president needed more information before responding to findings about his home. Ndala said the SIU had also lodging a civil claim against one of the service providers involved in security upgrades. Papers had been lodged in the Pietermaritzburg high court on Monday. – Sapa