Madonsela to release finalized reports today...Nkandla in January

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Public Protector, advocate Thuli Madonsela, will release finalised reports from her office on Thursday.

The reports include an investigation into an allegation of maladministration by the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport in Mpumalanga in the awarding of tenders for shop leases in Pilgrims Rest.

The other report is on an investigation into allegations of maladministration, corruption and a potential conflict of interest against the former Minister of Communications, Dina Pule.

Madonsela also answered her critics in the ANC, who had accused her of leaking details of a preliminary report on her probe into Nkandla to the media.

Madonsela strongly denied the claim saying that she had nothing to gain by doing this.

She also reiterated her commitment to sticking to the time-frames she outlined in November for the release of the Nkandla reports.

Madonsela says the Nkandla report is expected to be released in mid-January and not March as the ANC claims.

She dismissed claims that she planned to release her report into security upgrades of President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead in March, with hopes of influencing next year's general elections.

Madonsela told reporters in Pretoria on Wednesday that statements by her office consistently said the report would be released at the latest by mid-January.

Earlier, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe accused her of playing politics with the report by planning to release the final report on Nkandla in March next year just ahead of the elections.

Madonsela said that as protector, she had no role in politics and harboured no intentions of channeling voters in certain directions at next year's polls.