Johannesburg - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has urged the government to implement Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's recommendations in her Nkandla report, SABC television news reported on Friday.
“It has been investigated by the inter-ministerial task team, as well as the public protector and what I was saying is... there are reports, there are recommendations, and those reports must be acted upon,” said Motlanthe.
“There's no 'if not'. That's the right thing to do. They must be acted upon. What needs to be done has to be done. Those who must take responsibility, have got to take responsibility.”
He was speaking to the public broadcaster while electioneering in Cape Town.
The ruling African National Congress's national executive committee is meeting in Cape Town this weekend and Madonsela's report on security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's private homestead is expected to be discussed.
Madonsela has, in line with the Executive Members' Ethics Act, given Zuma two weeks to respond to her report on refurbishments at his private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.
The 400-page report titled “Secure in Comfort” found that the president should pay back a portion of the R246 million in state funds that was spent at Nkandla but did not go towards improving security measures.
It was released on March 19, and in response the Democratic Alliance has asked National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu to recall Parliament from its pre-election recess and set up an ad hoc committee to consider impeaching the president.
The ANC has since announced that it would take court action against the DA for saying in an SMS to voters that Zuma had stolen money.
The ANC said the bulk SMS “falsely accused the president of having stolen public money to build his private residence in Nkandla”.
ANC chief whip Stone Sizani in Parliament this week criticised Madonsela, saying she overstepped her mark when she released the report to the media before she released it to Parliament.
Sapa