The Nkandla report in a nutshell

JOHANNESBURG - Police Minister Nathi Nhleko's long-awaited report on the security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead is finally out.

In case you missed today's mammoth briefing, Eyewitness News brings you everything you need to know about the latest findings.

A reminder that Nhleko was tasked with investigating if the president benefited unduly and if he should pay back some of the money used to build features like a fire-pool, a cattle kraal, a chicken run and an amphitheatre at his homestead to the value of almost R250 million.

If you are wondering how our police minister came to these findings, he said he consulted various reports previously conducted on the Nkandla matter, legal instruments and conducted interviews with experts in different field to have come to these conclusions.

Most importantly, the strategic importance of the homestead, national security interest, relevant legislation, scientific and graphical demonstration were all taken into consideration during the course of this investigation.

MAIN FINDINGS

• Even those who didn't know all the details surrounding the Nkandla spending debacle, the question of whether Zuma should pay back the money or not was on their minds. And today the police minister made it clear that the president did not benefit unduly from those upgrades and therefore is not liable to pack back a cent.

• The president is a citizen like each and every one in this country and therefore is entitled to every right that South Africans enjoy on a daily basis. Most importantly, the right to privacy and the right dignity.

• The upgrades all constitute to the safety and security of the president and his family. Yes, even the chicken run.

• More security features are yet to be installed as they were halted by the ongoing investigations into the matter. So there is still more money to be spent at the president's homestead. These include features such as motions detection beams and camera monitors with recording capabilities.

SECURITY UPGRADES

The fire-pool

The police ministry's report finds that the fire-pool is a strategic asset in a firefighting case as the homestead has many thatched houses which can easily catch fire and make it difficult to extinguish without the fire-pool. This after an exercise was undertaken to test how quickly the local fire and rescue team would take to arrive at the house should there be fire, and it took them one hour and 30 minutes… hence the need for the president's own fire pool.

The 'animal enclosure'

The animal enclosure made up of chicken run, kraal and culvert is said to keep livestock away from the security infrastructure as they may often trigger alarm systems and cause panic. The motions sensors are so sensitive that even a chicken going on about its business might trigger it to go off. The family kraal is also said to carry a traditional meaning of being sacred and spiritual.

The amphitheatre

Although his home may be one of the safest in this country, there is still a need for a 'safe place' within the safe place. The soil retention wall (amphitheatre) is an assembly point for the family and homestead residents in case of emergency and is in turn seen as a 'lifesaving' tool which will be vital in cases of holding storm water and says the amphitheatre at the homestead does not serve as an entertainment area at all.

The visitors' centre

This building has caters for the president's distinguished guests' meetings; meetings that require the utmost privacy, confidentiality and it also ensures the president and his guests are safe. It also serves as a meeting room for locals who bring village complaints to the presidents and also require privacy.

For the full Nkandla report, click here.