President Zuma's cover up of ‘Nkandlagate' continues unabated

President Zuma's failure to provide a comprehensive reply to my question on how much his family will be contributing to the upgrade of Nkandla home shows his determination to hide the details of this scandal in the dark and escape accountability. This comes in conjunction with a replyby the Minister of Public Works which again fails to reveal the amount being spent by the Department at the President's private home in Nkandla.

President Zuma has repeatedly announced in response to this scandal that he and his family will be covering the bulk of the upgrade, yet he won't tell South Africans how much they will be contributing. Since all reports indicate that the upgrades constituting R248 million are related to security, it can only be deduced that President Zuma has admitted that he and his family will not provide a cent towards this amount.

Instead of taking this opportunity to be open with South Africans, and reveal the full extent of the State's involvement in the upgrade of his private home, President Zuma and his government continue shamelessly to insult accountability and transparency.

I will re-submit this written question at the next available opportunity, since the question was not answered, and I will continue to re-submit it until I receive an answer. I will also use my follow up questions in the National Assembly next week during questions to the President to ask again how much he and his family will be contributing to this upgrade. 

I advise the President that he should come prepared for that parliamentary session with these details. South Africans want answers and he can no longer show them contempt by hiding this information.

Reply by the Minister of Public Works:

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 1917
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No. 21 of 2012]
DATE OF PUBLISHING: 3 AUGUST 2012
DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 6 NOVEMBER 2012

Hon. Mr. J J McGluwa (ID) asked the Minister of Public Works:

(1) Whether his department has made any contributions to the extensions at the Presidential homestead (details furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) contributions and (b) are the further relevant details;

(2) What is the (a) total cost and (b) breakdown of the cost associated with his department contribution in this regard?     NW1917E

REPLY:

The Minister of Public Works:

(1) The contributions made by the Department of Public Works (DPW) are for security measures as prescribed by the South African Police Services (SAPS) Security Advisory Unit and other State security agencies.

(a) and (b) The DPW has provided for supporting facilities/structures to house the security team of the President of the Republic.  

(2) (a) and (b) All the work that was undertaken at the President's residence was for security measures and the breakdown of the expenditure cannot be disclosed for security reasons. This is in line with Sections 37, 38 and 41 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 [Act No. 2 of 2000], provisions which speak to the mandatory protection of safety of individuals and protection of property, as well as the mandatory protection of certain confidential information relating to the security, defence and the international relations of the Republic.

Reply by the President of South Africa:

THE PRESIDENCY:  REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO. 2953

DATE PUBLISHED: 26 October 2012

2953.  The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the President of the Republic:

With reference to his comments on 11 October 2012 that a large part of the building of his Nkandla homestead was paid for by his family (details furnished), what (a) amount are they contributing to the upgrade of his Nkandla homestead in terms of section 3 of the National Key Points Act, Act 102 of 1980, and (b) will the amount be spent on? NW3713E

REPLY:

The scope of works for the Department of Public Works is limited to the security measures. Thus, the Department only implemented the works in line with security assessments. The President therefore does not have to fund any portion from his own funds as he is not party to the arrangement for the installation of security measures.

Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Leader, November 7 2012

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