Pretoria - The law does not make provision for Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to submit her reports directly to Parliament, she said on Wednesday.
“The Executive Members Ethics Act does not make provision for the public protector to submit reports to Parliament,” she told reporters in Pretoria.
“I had pointed out that there was a challenge regarding the security cluster receiving the report.”
Madonsela said she failed to see how “sharing the truth” compromised President Jacob Zuma's security. Her office had been accused of launching parallel investigations, she said.
“Effectively, the accusers are saying my office is squandering public funds. The opposite is the truth.”
The provisional report is on Madonsela's investigation into the R206 million security upgrade of Zuma's private residence at Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal.
Last week, the security cluster withdrew its urgent court bid to prevent Madonsela from releasing the provisional report to affected, implicated and interested parties for comment.
Madonsela's provisional report was given to the security cluster ministries on November 1.
This followed a special request that it have access to the report ahead of all other parties to establish if its contents would compromise Zuma's security. The return date for comment was November 6.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in a founding affidavit that Zuma's safety would be compromised if Madonsela released the provisional report without state comment. - Sapa