Cape Town - A report into security upgrades to President Jacob Zuma's private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal is in the process of being finalised, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said on Thursday.
The SIU confirmed it had submitted a provisional report to Zuma.
“Following a request for a progress report on its investigation, the SIU submitted a progress report to the presidency on 15 April 2014,” SIU spokesman Boy Ndala said.
“The SIU is in the process of compiling its final report.”
The SIU declined to comment on the contents of the provisional report.
“In terms of the SIU Act, only the president may communicate to third parties the contents of reports that the SIU submit to him,” Ndala said.
“In the circumstances, the SIU is unfortunately not at liberty to say anything about the contents of the progress report.”
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Zuma had undertaken to give National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete a “comprehensive and final report” on the Nkandla controversy within 30 working days.
In a letter dated June 4, Zuma told Mbete he was in a position to do so because he had seen the SIU's provisional report.
“I am now in receipt of the provisional report requested from the head of the Special Investigating Unit...
“While the report is still provisional, it has provided me with the insight I require in order to give consideration to the matter, having equal regard to the other reports to which I allude in my earlier correspondence,” Zuma wrote.
“Accordingly, I am intent on providing you Madam Speaker with a comprehensive and final report within the next 30 working days.”
This was published in Parliament's list of announcements, tablings, and committee reports for Tuesday.
The lavish Nkandla project cost the taxpayer R246 million and dogged the president's re-election campaign after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that he had derived “undue benefit” from it.
Madonsela made public her findings in March in a 450-page report and gave Zuma 14 days to respond to it in Parliament.
Zuma kept to that timeframe, but declined to comment extensively.
In a letter to the Speaker dated April 1, he said he would await the outcome of the SIU probe as he wanted to consider its findings along with those of Madonsela and the inter-ministerial task team, which also investigated the Nkandla upgrades.
Zuma said it was at this point that he would outline the steps the executive intended to take on the matter.
In her report, Madonsela said Zuma should pay for some of the improvements out of his own pocket. - Sapa