Auditor-General to back Public Protector’s Inquiry into ‘Nkandlagate’

Lindiwe Mazibuko, Parliamentary Leader of the Democratic Alliance
2 November 2012

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes reports today that Minister of Public Works, Thulas Nxesi, has requested that the Auditor General (AG) audit spending on the upgrade of President Zuma’s home in Nkandla. This follows a letter to me from the Auditor General’s Office, in response to my request for an investigation last month, indicating that they would assist the Public Protector in her inquiry.

I will write to the AG, Terence Nombembe, and request clarity on the nature of the investigation requested by the Minister of Public Works. This cannot be limited to a simple audit of whether the costs were inflated. The Auditor-General must commit to conducting a full, special investigation into whether there were any irregularities in spending public money on the President’s private home and whether all proper financial procedures were abided by.

I will also request a commitment from both the AG and the Minister that this full report will be tabled before Parliament, and made public. Previous attempts to have the AG’s management report into the Department of Public Works made public have been unsuccessful. DA Shadow Minister of Public Works, Anchen Dreyer MP has since submitted a PAIA application to gain access to these documents.
The ‘Nkandlagate’ scandal severely undermines the public’s confidence in government to deliver on its mandate to serve all South Africans fairly. In order to restore this confidence, our independent institutions must do everything possible to shine a light onto the details of this upgrade.

Doing so will go a long way towards preventing this abuse of state resources in the future.