S. African National Treasury submits report on Zuma private home upgrades to court

The National Treasury on Monday submitted to the Constitutional Court its report on the payment President Jacob Zuma should pay for non-security items in the upgrades at his private homestead.

The report was submitted in line with the Court's order on March 31 that "the National Treasury must determine a reasonable percentage of the costs of those measures which ought to be paid personally by the president" and report back to this Court on the outcome of its determination within 60 days of the date of this order.

All queries regarding the matter should be directed to the Court, the National Treasury said.

The National Treasury determined that Zuma must pay 7.8 million rand (about 540,000 U.S. dollars), based on 2009 prices, for the non-security items in the upgrades at his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province.

The non-security items include the firepool, the amphitheatre and the cattle kraal, among others.

The Treasury said two firms provided three experts each for the panel which helped determine the amount.

Under the the Constitutional Court ruling, Zuma has to pay within 45 days once the Court approves the Treasury's report.

The Nkandla project allegedly cost public funding worth 246 million rand (about 16.9 million dollars). Endit