Mixed reaction to Nkandla report
2013-01-27 14:32
Johannesburg - There was mixed reaction from political parties on Sunday on the report about President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla home.
The ANC said the report proved President Jacob Zuma did not use government money to erect any buildings in his KwaZulu-Natal homestead.
"This report vindicates the President and our belief in the innocence of the President in this regard, on what he consistently said were lies and that he personally built his residence and that the government only built security features that are prescribed in relevant security prescripts," spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
The party welcomed the decision to probe irregularities in the awarding of tenders to service providers and consultants who worked on security upgrades at Nkandla.
Earlier on Sunday Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi announced the findings of an investigation into the money spent on Nkandla.
Nailing lower-ranking officials
The Democratic Alliance said Sunday's press briefing was a poor attempt to shield Zuma from being held accountable for the waste of public money.
"The 'task team' seems more determined to nail low ranking officials for this scandal than to answer legitimate concerns about how President Zuma could have allowed this to happen without taking action," DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said in a statement.
"The fact that this report will not be made public brings into question its independence and casts a further shadow on the entire scandal."
Mazibuko intended to call on Nxesi to table the report in Parliament for debate. If he refused to do so National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu needed to intervene, she said.
Investigation needed
The SA Communist Party welcomed the report.
"The expenditure has been on government required security features, not on the personal household of the president," spokesperson Malesela Maleka said in a statement.
Maleka said the SACP supported Nxesi's referral of the report to law enforcement agencies to investigate irregularities in the appointments of service providers.
"The SACP has for some time called for the need to strengthen mechanisms and regulations governing procurement and supply chain [management] in the public sector," he said.
- SAPA
