Johannesburg - South Africa's National Treasury has found that President Jacob Zuma should pay R7.8 million for non-security upgrades to his private Nkandla home, 702 Talk Radio reported on Monday, according to Reuters.
The wire service notes the top court in Africa's most industrialised country in March ordered Zuma to pay back some of the $16 million of state money spent upgrading his private home.
Read the statement from the Treasury here.
Zuma said he would comply and pay back a portion of the money.
The president, who initially said he was not liable for any repayments related to upgrades at his Nkandla residence, later told the court through his lawyers that he is ready to pay back some of the money as directed by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
The Constitutional Court ruled at the end of March that Zuma breached the constitution when he failed to heed Madonsela’s report on non security improvements to his private residence, and should reimburse the state an amount to be determined by National Treasury.
In a unanimous judgment read out by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, the court instructed the National Treasury to determine an amount to be paid by Zuma within 60 days for “luxuries” added to his Nkandla home and gave the president 45 days to then personally pay that amount.
“The Treasury is instructed to determine the reasonable costs that are the visitor’s centre, the cattle kraal, amphitheatre and the chicken run and the swimming pool which ought to be paid personally by the president,” said Mogoeng.
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Mogoeng said the Public Protector’s directives were binding and Zuma had failed to uphold the constitution by respecting and protecting the chapter nine institution.
The National Assembly had equally breached the constitution when it sought to absolve the president from his duty to comply with the remedial action Madonsela ordered in her report on the R216 million Nkandla project.
“Remedial action taken by the Public Protector against President Jacob Zuma is binding, the failure by the president to comply with remedial action taken against him by the Public Protector is inconsistent with Section 83 of the constitution,” he said.
IOL