ANC in damage control as DA, EFF lay complaints against Zuma

AS the ANC sought yesterday to limit the damage from the public protector's damning report on unlawful state-funded upgrades to President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead, the DA and EFF laid criminal complaints against him.

The complaints were filed a day after the DA said it planned to start impeachment proceedings against Zuma.

"We have opened a case of corruption [at the Nkandla police station] against President Zuma, based on the findings of the report and his role in the matter. We believe he has a case to answer," DA spokesman Mmusi Maimane said.

Former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also laid complaints of corruption, theft, fraud and racketeering against Zuma in Pretoria.

Public protector Thuli Madonsela released her report on Zuma's private residence on Wednesday.

The report found that Zuma had unduly benefited from the upgrades‚ but that his comments to the contrary made to parliament were a "bona fide mistake", that he violated the executive ethics code by failing to protect state funds‚ and that he should pay back money spent on non-security items in the upgrade.

She said Zuma had "tacitly accepted" the non-security items built at his residence.

One of Zuma's closest allies‚ Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa‚ was roasted for his failure to "apply his mind" when declaring Nkandla a national key point.

This was described in the report as "improper conduct and maladministration".

While Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula were not directly implicated in the report‚ it was their departments that were responsible for building and justifying the project.

Madonsela found that former public works minister Geoff Doidge had also acted improperly and that officials in his department had "failed dismally" to adhere to the supply chain management policy framework.

The ANC said yesterday officials implicated in the scandal should be called to account and misspent money repaid.

It singled out national police commissioner Riah Phiyega and Zuma's architect, Minenhle Makhanya, as two of the officials who must be held accountable for the Nkandla debacle.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said Phiyega misled the public when she described the swimming pool built at Zuma's private residence as a fire pool.

"She gave details of what the difference is between the two, [saying a fire pool] is a one-dimensional structure, two metres all round, which is proving to be false.

"Our view is that that is misrepresentation of facts. And therefore ... the minister of police [Mthethwa] must take appropriate action in this regard," Mantashe said.

The report said Makhanya assumed a conflicting role as principal agent for the Nkandla project, pocketing R16.5-million from the public purse.

Mantashe said Makhanya's role in the project needed further scrutiny.

"If his actions led to undue enrichment and wrongfully accessing state funds, such funds will have to be recovered," he said.

"Other actions can be taken, but the most important thing is that the money must be recovered by the state.

"All public office bearers, officials and private sector companies involved in any maladministration must be brought to book, and all funds that were acquired inappropriately must be recovered.

"When we say all, we mean all," Mantashe said in Johannesburg, when asked if this included Zuma.

But he denounced calls for Zuma's impeachment as a "premeditated position that has nothing to do with the report".

The ANC criticised the timing of the report just weeks before the May 7 elections but Madonsela blamed the government for the delays.

Mantashe said senior ANC leaders planned to inspect the homestead next week.

The lavish refurbishments at Nkandla included a swimming pool, private clinic, visitors' centre, amphitheatre and helipad. – AFP, with additional reporting by Natasha Marrian, Zine George and Reuters