The Constitutional Court on Tuesday accepted the National Treasury’s report on President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla bill, according to eNCA.
Nkandla: a timeline
Two months ago, the Concourt ordered Treasury to determine a reasonable percentage of the costs of “those measures which ought to be paid personally by President Jacob Zuma… within 60 days.”
Treasury concluded in its report that the reasonable costs for the non-security upgrades – if determined using June 2009 prices when the upgrades were built – would amount to R 7 814 155.
Zuma has 45 days to settle the account.
The Concourt ordered Zuma to pay for the building of a visitor’s centre, swimming pool, amphitheatre and a chicken run at his Nkandla home as remedial action as recommended by in a report by public protector Thuli Madonsela.
Read more:
Key comments from the Concourt’s Nkandla ruling
The Democratic Alliance called for the president to pay the full amount for the non-security upgrades, which meant that Zuma would have to fork out R8 884 364.
Zuma had initially ignored the public protector’s remedial action, arguing in parliament that he did not ask for any of the non-security upgrades.
The ANC-led ad hoc committee into the matter had also found that the president was not liable to pay for any of the upgrades.
The total cost of the upgrades at the president’s homestead caused a national outcry when it was reported to have cost a staggering R246-million, prompting opposition parties to ask the public protector to investigate.
Zuma has nine weeks to settle the account.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has warned the public about social media scams requesting money to pay the Nkandla bill.
“Such requests have fraudulently been made in light of the submission of the Nkandla homestead non-security upgrades report to the Constitutional Court by the National Treasury,” the Presidency said.
“No account has been opened for this purpose and no request has been made for members of the public to contribute.”
Read our Special Report on Nkandla.