Zuma accepts protector's findings - report

2011-08-07 16:06

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has accepted the public protector's findings on the leases for two new police headquarters, and a recommendation of remedial action, reported the Sunday Tribune.

He did so in a letter to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, her spokesperson Kgalelo Masibi told the newspaper.

Madonsela was "happy" with the response, but urged Zuma to take action.

She told the Sunday Tribune, she expected Parliament to play an oversight role if no action was taken.

Masibi said Madonsela expected Zuma to "weigh the transgression and decide on the remedial action to be taken within a reasonable time frame".

She has given the department of public works and the police 30 days to submit action plans to her office and 60 days to implement remedial actions.

Madonsela found the lease agreements for the police headquarters in Pretoria and Durban improper and invalid. Her findings implicated police chief General Bheki Cele and Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde in wrongdoing.

Last month, Madonsela said the Durban lease would have been worth R1.16bn over 10 years, and that of the Middestad Building in Pretoria, R604m over the same period.

- SAPA