Durban -
The construction of a police station in President Jacob Zuma's hometown of Nkandla was part of a “long process” and not linked to the upgrades to Zuma's home, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday.
“This construction marks the culmination of a long process that was initiated in 1995,” Colonel Jay Naicker said in a statement.
“The Inkosi... requested the SAPS (SA Police Service) to build a police station in the Ubumbano area as a result of ongoing faction fighting and crime in the area.”
He said the SAPS felt it necessary to “put matter into proper perspective” after the Sunday Times printed a front-page report on the station.
The newspaper reported that the “state-of-the-art” station was being built “on the doorstep of Zuma's rural homestead”.
It had “established” that Zuma was updated by consultants commissioned to conduct an environmental management assessment for the station.
Nkandla has recently been in public eye, after it emerged that the president's private residence in the town was undergoing a reported R200 million upgrade.
Naicker said: “ We would like to expressly intimate that there was nothing untoward in this regard as we welcome this community-police partnership demonstrated in this project.
“Rural development remains a very crucial aspect of service delivery in the SAPS.” - Sapa