President Jacob Zuma on Thursday defended multi-million-dollar renovations at his personal residence saying he paid for the bulk of the work, while the government paid for security upgrades.
"We are a very big family... (so) we decided to extend our homestead. At the same time government was wanting to put its own measures, security measures," Zuma said.
He did not give a breakdown of how much he had paid for the upgrades at the thatched-roof compound in Nkandla in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, which are reported to include a helipad, underground bunkers, fencing, and a clinic.
Local media say the works will cost taxpayers up to R238 million ($27 million).
The splurge in the verdant hills of Zuma's political stronghold has sparked an uproar amid an economic crunch in a country where 10 million people live on social grants and many have only tin shacks for home.
"When people see my house on the TV, they must be thinking that government has built this for me. No. A large part of that... has been done by the family," Zuma said.
The City Press newspaper claimed Zuma had paid for only five percent of the total cost. (from The New Age)
"We are a very big family... (so) we decided to extend our homestead. At the same time government was wanting to put its own measures, security measures," Zuma said.
He did not give a breakdown of how much he had paid for the upgrades at the thatched-roof compound in Nkandla in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, which are reported to include a helipad, underground bunkers, fencing, and a clinic.Local media say the works will cost taxpayers up to R238 million ($27 million).
The splurge in the verdant hills of Zuma's political stronghold has sparked an uproar amid an economic crunch in a country where 10 million people live on social grants and many have only tin shacks for home.
"When people see my house on the TV, they must be thinking that government has built this for me. No. A large part of that... has been done by the family," Zuma said.
The City Press newspaper claimed Zuma had paid for only five percent of the total cost. (from The New Age)
Jacob Zuma does not own the land on which his Nkandla compound is built – and Public Works is now doing a deal to take up the lease, potentially for as little as R1000 a year.This means that not only will the Zuma compound be bankrolled by the taxpayer to the tune of R203m, but so will the land on which it stands.
The compound – which, City Press revealed, is being upgraded with a R203m investment by the department of Public Works – is on communal land owned by the Ingonyama Trust and is about 24km south of Nkandla town centre in northern KwaZulu-Natal.The trust is headed by King Goodwill Zwelithini and manages about 32% of all land in the province on behalf of the state for the benefit of its occupants.
The disclosure also challenges the justification of spending on the property by Public Works in the face of a public outcry over the splurge. The department cited the Ministerial Handbook’s rules allowing spending on the president’s “private” residence (from Media24)
In 2009 R65 million was spend on Nkandla taking it from this to this. (from the M&G)
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In the end the public will have spent R268 million for the benefit of just one man: Agent 783
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