Cape Town - The ad hoc committee considering Police Minister Nathi Nhleko’s widely-panned report on President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home has asked for another briefing by the minister after they visited the homestead and found glaring defects.
“The ad hoc committee … has concluded its business in KwaZulu-Natal by resolving to call before it, the public works minister and recalling the police minister to respond to outstanding concerns committee members have regarding the security and non-security upgrades at President Zuma’s Nkandla private residence,” Parliament said in a statement on Friday.
Nhleko briefed the committee on Tuesday on his findings on the R246 million upgrade, that has prompted years of controversy and six different investigations. His own report on the matter, released in late May, found that Zuma had no obligation to refund the state any percentage of the cost as items deemed luxuries by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, such as a swimming pool, were in fact essential security features.
“The presentation by police minister this past Tuesday did empower the committee, but members feel that he needs to come back and clarify some of the concerns that emerged during the committee site visit to Nkandla on Wednesday,” Parliament quoted committee chairman Cedric Frolick as saying.
Frolick said it was necessary that Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi also appear before the committee because he was the political head of a department responsible for overseeing the dealings between contractors and the state on so-called prestige projects. “Members want to know who was responsible for this gross inflation of prices at the Nkandla project so that those found liable should reimburse the state.”
Earlier this week James Selfe, the chairman of the Democratic Alliance’s federal council and a member of the committee, said MPs were shocked by what they saw during a tour of Zuma’s home in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
He said it was clear that the security measures, such as surveillance, were not adequate, while structures erected at vast cost were not liveable. This applied to the cluster of cottages built for police staff - at a cost of R6.8 million each - that were standing empty because their ablution facilities did not work.
The four-day visit by the committee to KwaZulu-Natal saw further arguments between the opposition and ANC members as to whether the swimming pool, an amphitheatre and cattle kraal were indeed security measures as Nhleko claimed.
ANA