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The ANC says it will wait for the release of the Public Protector's final report on the investigation into government spending on president Jacob Zuma's residence at Nkandla, before commenting on it.
The ruling party was reacting to the publication on Friday of details of a leaked report which suggested that Zuma had derived substantial personal benefit from government spending on Nkandla.
The ANC says it continues to have confidence in president Zuma and believe that he is not responsible for any wrong-doing with regard to the Nkandla security upgrades.
"The ANC is calling on all South Africans, particularly those who have started to comment on the story, to exercise restraint and caution until the Public Protector releases her report. Failure to do so will prejudice the process as outline by the Public Protector and all involved stakeholders," said ANC spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu.
"At this stage we believe that the report is undergoing inputs and comment by various stakeholders necessary. We believe that the report will be subjected to prescribed precaution.'
Meanwhile, Minister in the Justice Cluster hurriedly met the Public Protector, advocate Thuli Madonsela, on Friday to discussed the report in the Mail and Guardian Newspaper.
Government spokesperson, Phumla Williams, said ''the security cluster wishes to reiterate the integrity of government’s own investigation into the Nkandla security upgrades. This investigation established, among other things, that no state funds had been spent on improving President Jacob Zuma’s private houses at Nkandla."
"Government maintains its view that while the security upgrades were justified, the manner in which the Department of Public Works handled the matter was inappropriate," Williams said.
The government investigation found there had been a number of irregularities in the appointment of service providers and the procurement of goods and services, Williams added.
