Cape Town - Parliament’s Nkandla ad hoc committee wants state security services to assess if President Jacob Zuma is actually safe at his rural homestead following the R215 million taxpayer-funded security upgrades.
And it wants the president to consider action against members of his executive for negligence and complacency.
It also rejected the public protector’s findings that Zuma had unduly benefited from the upgrade, should repay at least some of the costs of the non-security benefits like the swimming pool; and that Zuma’s failure to act to protect state resources violated the executive ethics code and was conduct “inconsistent” with his office.
On Tuesday the committee - made up ANC MPs after an opposition party walkout - adopted its final report which blames senior officials for “gross negligence”, while clearing Zuma.
However, on Wednesday the the DA, EFF, United Democratic Movement and Cope are expected to release their alternate report, despite questions about that report’s parliamentary standing. The IFP has withdrawn from this process.
Committee chairman Cedric Frolick said: “If anyone has information (that the president acted improperly or corruptly), that information must be handed over to the relevant authorities. The law must take its course. But it can’t be expected from Parliament to find and manufacture what is not before us.”
This comes just days after the police confirmed that Lieutenant-General Vinesh Moonoo is heading the national investigation into various cases of corruption laid by opposition parties against Zuma.
The report does not name former Public Works minister Geoff Doidge and his deputy Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu by name, but only refers to “former minister and deputy minister of public works”.
Both were found liable in last year’s inter-ministerial task team report, which highlighted widespread procurement violations leading to cost escalations. However, the public protector found all public works ministers had provided “incorrect information” on the legal authority for and the extent of work on Nkandla, and expressly found that Doidge, and then police minister Nathi Mthethwa, could have provided better leadership.
Doidge and Bogopane-Zulu denied wrongdoing following these reports.
The ad hoc committee also came out in support of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) R155m civil claim against the Nkandla architect Minenhle Makhanya, whom the unit held responsible for the exorbitant overspend.
Other recommendations include:
* Zuma to ensure all measures he announced in his response to Parliament - effectively that Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko determine whether, and if so, how much he should repay.
* Zuma to consider whether any members of his cabinet, and deputy ministers, contravened the Public Finance Management Act and to take steps, if necessary.
* Cabinet to review the 2003 cabinet memo on security of sitting and former presidents and their deputies.
* Plug loopholes in the existing legislative and regulatory framework, including a review of the National Key Point Act.
* Public Works to tighten procurement processes.
The ANC MPs used their numbers to avoid calling witnesses, and limited its work to the four already available reports from the public protector, the SIU, the 2013 inter-ministerial task team and the parliamentary joint standing committee on intelligence.
The ANC in Parliament on Tuesday welcomed the committee report, describing it as the outcome of an open process.
“It is bizarre that those who voluntarily walked out of their constitutional obligations in the committee and missed a valuable opportunity to contribute to the report, would now cry foul regarding its contents,” said ANC chief whip’s spokesman Moloto Mothapo.
The committee report is expected in the National Assembly on Friday.
Cape Argus