The draft report by Parliament's Nkandla ad hoc committee makes no finding against President Jacob Zuma, and blames only architect Minenhle Makhanya.
It finds that "costing escalations inflated the project costs in a corrupt manner". It also opened the door to further spending, saying the property was still not secure. So far costs of the upgrade have been estimated at R246-million.
DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane has described the draft report as a whitewash undermining parliament, and threatened court action against Zuma on behalf of the official opposition.
"The Nkandla ad hoc committee study group of the ANC is doing everything it can to acquit and exonerate President Jacob Zuma," Maimane said.
The report, seen by The Times, is essentially an ANC one because the opposition withdrew from its deliberations.
The committee, which did not visit Nkandla, listed three aspects for the huge costs at the homestead: its rural setting, the property's 40 to 70 degree gradient and excesses by Makhanya.
The report confirms that R71.2-million of the costs were incurred by the cabinet's security cluster, and R135.2-million by the Department of Public Works and tabulates findings by the public protector, the Special Investigative Unit and cabinet's security cluster.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigating Unit has, in documents filed at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg, dismissed Makhanya's claim that he designed the Nkandla upgrade on orders from top government officials to match the security at the Union Buildings and the president's official residence, Mahlambandlopfu.
- Timeslive
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