Nkandla: DA to demand updated Public Works costs to be made public

30 June 2016

The DA will submit parliamentary questions to the Minister of Public Works, Thulas Nxesi, to get to the full truth of how much his department contributed to the R246 million spent upgrading the President’s private residence at Nkandla. The Minister, being a Member of Parliament (MP) is enjoined by the rules of the National Assembly (NA) to answer questions truthfully and in full.

This follows National Treasury’s assertion, in a report to the Constitutional Court, that it could not easily work out the costs of building the non-security facilities at Nkandla, because it did not receive all the necessary documents from the Department of Public Works (DPW).

The last time South Africa received an update on the costs of the Nkandla project was upon the completion of the Public Protector's report into the matter. At the time, phase three of the project was still underway. It is thus imperative that we are told the full and final costs of this project.

It is further unacceptable and an indictment on the Department of Public Works that the so many assumptions had to be made by National Treasury in their report given the lack of information provided by Public Works.

In almost all instances, the information provided by the Department was incorrect. Where a double story building was built, the drawings given showed a single story building. The information provided for the cattle kraal, construction around the pool, and landscaping information were all not reflective of what was actually built. This meant that Treasury had to make a large deal of assumptions during their investigation. The Department of Public Works should have given them the full information and costs.

Given the public interest in this matter, it is outrageous that Minister Nxesi could allow such poor actions by his Department. One is left thinking that this may have been a deliberate attempt to shield Zuma from repaying the real costs of the non-security upgrades to Nkandla. 

Unsurprisingly the Public Works Spokesperson exclaimed that the “Minister will not take blame for things that were not happening under his watch. The maladministration of the Nkandla cannot be attributed to the Minister [because] he came when the project had already been completed.” While this may be true, in part, Minister Nxesi has overseen the ballooning costs at Nkandla at taxpayer’s expense and has been complicit in frustrating efforts to resolve this matter and must bear a portion of the blame for this abuse of public funds.

It cannot be that after more than 6 years, a Public Protector report, an SIU report and a landmark Constitutional Court judgement demanding resolution, a government department can still display this sort of contempt for the Rule of Law and due process. 

The DA will not relent in getting to the full truth of how much money was actually spent at Nkandla and the full liability of those Ministers and government officials who appear to have colluded throughout this debacle.

We encourage all South Africans to use their vote to elect a DA government which will stop corruption and deliver better services for all and not the elite few who abuse public funds at will and refuse to own up to their hand in corruption even when called upon to do so by the highest court in the land.

Issued by Patricia Kopane, DA Shadow Minister of Public Works, 30 June 2016