Millions in taxpayers’ money to be forked out to fix Nkandla – report

While the president’s spokesperson, Bongani Ngqulunga has denied there will be further upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead, three senior officials have confirmed the process has begun to spend millions more on it.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and public works chief director for legal services Barnie Ntlou told The Sunday Times they had received a briefing that upgrades to the R246 million homestead would be under way soon. Mbalula confirmed this in a text message while Ntlou said officials had assessed the houses and buildings that needed upgrades.

“We are forced to do that. We can’t allow a presidential residence to be dilapidated,” he told Sunday Times.

Athlenda Mathe, a spokeswoman for acting national police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane, said the police department had conducted a security assessment and sent this to public works.

This was in contradiction to Ngqulunga, who said Zuma would not allow any upgrades to his home.

“There are no renovations of the private houses at the president’s residence at Nkandla currently and no department has mentioned anything regarding renovations. President Zuma will not allow any government department, including the Department of Public Works, to renovate any of his private houses,” Ngqulunga was quoted as saying.

Zuma was ordered by the Constitutional Court to pay back a portion of the millions of taxpayers’ money spent on Nkandla. The Constitutional Court ruled had benefited unduly and Treasury found he was liable for R7.8 million, which he paid by taking out a loan with VBS Bank last year.

Ten officials directly involved in awarding the contract to refurbish Nkandla to Minenhle Makhanya Architects almost three years ago are undergoing a disciplinary process. They were fingered as having facilitated the deal that saw the state pay millions for shoddy workmanship without the contract going out to tender.

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