NELSPRUIT – Those who have benefitted wrongfully from the security upgrade project at President Jacob Zuma’s homestead – Nkandla – must be criminally prosecuted. This is according to Gwede Mantashe, secretary general of the ANC.
The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had a special meeting in the city this week during which the upgrades at Nkandla were discussed, amongst others.
“The NEC remains concerned about the amount of money that has been spent during the Nkandla Security Upgrade. We have thus called for the recommendations from the inter-ministerial task team report to be implemented with the necessary speed. Amongst these recommendations, is that anybody who is guilty of having received monies wrongfully during the security upgrade project must be pursued criminally and all monies misappropriated must be recouped from the civil servants and contractors. Those who will believe that they are scapegoats because they will want to say they acted on the directive of certain political principals have a responsibility to disclose who those political principals are,” Mantashe said.
He added that the general tendency of inflating prices in major infrastructure projects undertaken by the Department of Public Works is a major concern to the NEC and must be dealt with holistically. “This report on the security upgrades at Nkandla will now be disseminated to the structures of the ANC for them to also engage with the issues as presented as we await the long anticipated release of the Public Protector`s report on the same matter.”
In the meantime, the ruling party is geared for the 102nd anniversary celebrations and manifesto launch scheduled to take place this weekend. Guests are flocking to Mpumalanga’s capital and two accreditation centres have been set up at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and the Lowveld Agricultural College/University of Mpumalanga.
Today, the ANC will unveil the 2014 Elections Manifesto to be launched at the rally at a gala dinner at the Church on the Hill near KaNyamazane. The dinner will be attended by over 1 200 people in the faith based sector, traditional leadership, ambassadors in business, media, civil society and creative sector.
The ANC is also expecting a fullhouse of 53 000 people at Mbombela Stadium tomorrow. Provision has been made for four overflow areas and open public viewing facilities. Just over 1 000 busses have been confirmed to descend on Nelspruit from all corners of our country. Three hundred taxis will also be ferrying supporters of the ANC to the stadium. Stadium gates will open at 06:30 and the cultural component of the programme will kick off at 08:30.
The formal part of the programme to be addressed by Zuma will commence at 10:00. Amongst the entertainment that has been secured are the Idol Winner and runner-up from Mpumalanga Musa and Brandon.
