Millions spent on Zuma compound

The Afrikaans rag in Cape Town, Die Burger, reports they are in possession of documents that can prove that improvements to the estate have already cost the taxpayer R250m. That equates to the building of around 9000 RDP houses.
According to the documents, the department of public works has spent R188m on building at the Prez’z KwaZulu-Natal home in the past three years and on top of that paid R54m to ‘consultants’. This total cost of the uncompleted project is now at least R247m.
Apparently the spending is all part of national public works department’s ‘prestige portfolio’ and includes R23m for “emergency work”. Other payments made are R121m to builders, R2.4m for bulletproof glass, R9.2m for a fence and a payment of R1.9m to a leading international elevator company. Millions more have been paid to consultants like architects, surveyors, engineers and project managers.
Earlier the presidency claimed the improvements paid for by the Zuma family, but now Sabelo Mali, a spokesperson for minister Thulas Nxesi (public works minister), says the expenditure “complies with guidelines in the ministerial handbook”. According to him the Prez’s compound is a “national keypoint” which prohibits the release of details for security reasons. The law he now uses to prevent the release of details about this expenditure was brought into existence by the Apartheid regime in the early ’80s.