New Nkandla shock – we are paying his electricity bill

Jan 08, 2014 | 9:49 AM |by Staff Writer 

It has emerged that taxpayers are footing President Jacob Zuma’s electricity bill at his private home in Nkandla.

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According to a report in The Mercurynewspaper, this finding emerged in response to a parliamentary question posed by the DA.

While the Department of Public Works has confirmed that it is carrying the bill in order to “pay for aspects related to security”, the DA said the department failed to provide details on exactly how much the bills added up to.

“The department is paying for the electricity to provide for aspects relating to security,” said Public Works spokesman Thami Mchunu on Tuesday.

DA Public Works spokeswoman Anchen Dreyer was disappointed by the lack of information in the reply. “The details of how much has been spent thus far were not provided in the reply, despite it being clearly asked for.

“I will resubmit the question in the National Assembly requesting the full details,” she said.

“Already South Africans have had to fork out an exorbitant R200 million to upgrade President Zuma’s private residence in Nkandla. We have been told, time and time again, that this is for his ‘security’."

If she still did not get the information within 10 parliamentary working days, as the rules of Parliament required, Dreyer said she would submit an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act for all the electricity costs and related documents.

“Already South Africans have had to fork out an exorbitant R200 million to upgrade President Zuma’s private residence in Nkandla. We have been told, time and again, that this is for his ‘security’. Yet, from cattle kraals to ‘fire pools’, we continue to learn of items which have absolutely nothing to do with protecting the president,” she said.

Dreyer said the latest revelation was a slap in the face for so many South Africans who had yet to receive access to electricity, or who battled each month to pay their bills.

She questioned why Zuma deserved “special treatment” at his private residence - when he already had four state-provided residences across the country.

National ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu referred queries to the Department of Public Works.

“We don’t know anything about it. The right people who will respond intelligently on the matter will be the department,” he said.