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S. African Constitutional Court accepts report on Nkandla payment

Xinhua, June 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Africa's Constitutional Court on Tuesday accepted the National Treasury's report on the amount of money President Jacob Zuma should pay for non-security items in the upgrades at his private homestead.

The report determines that Zuma should pay back 7.8 million rand (about 540,000 U.S. dollars) for non-security upgrades at his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Zuma has 45 days to pay the amout after the Court approved the Treasury's report.

The National Treasury on Monday submitted the report 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.

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

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

Soon after the National Treasury submitted the report, requests have been made on social media where people are asked to deposit money into bank accounts in support of Zuma. But the Presidency on Tuesday denied requesting donations.

"The Presidency wishes to alert members of the public to beware of scams on social media where people are asked to deposit money into bank accounts in support of President Jacob Zuma," presidential spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga said.

Such requests have fraudulently been made in light of the submission of the Nkandla homestead non-security upgrades report to the Constitutional Court by the National Treasury, said Ngqulunga.

No account has been opened for this purpose and no request has been made for members of the public to contribute, he said.

Also on Tuesday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said Zuma is now legally obliged to pay back this money - without delay - and pay it personally.

"Personally" does not mean that Zuma's pals and cronies can pay this money back to the people on his behalf, the DA said.

Zuma was ordered to pay back the money by the Public Protector and the Constitutional Court, and it's now time he pays back the portion of money out of his own pocket, said the party. Enditem