Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says the government is not responsible for maintaining non-security features at former president Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.

The matter was raised by MK Party MP Pumlani Kubukeli in a parliamentary question.

Kubukeli asked whether Macpherson knew that the private KwaZulu-Natal residence had reportedly deteriorated significantly.

He suggested that the decline was caused by the department’s failure to conduct regular maintenance, despite the property’s status as a National Key Point.

Kubukeli also asked whether the situation required intervention from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Minister rejects maintenance responsibility

Macpherson rejected the suggestion that his department should maintain all parts of Zuma’s private property.

He said Public Works was not responsible for features including chicken runs, cattle kraals, the amphitheatre, swimming pool and visitors’ centre.

“It is not the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s responsibility to maintain non-security upgrades that took place at Nkandla,” Macpherson said.

He added that the upkeep of Zuma’s private property was a matter for the former president.

“How the former president wishes to maintain his property is entirely within his discretion and not the responsibility of the state,” he said.

R246 million upgrades remain controversial

Nkandla became the centre of a national controversy after the state spent about R246 million upgrading the residence during Zuma’s presidency.

A 2014 Public Protector investigation found that some improvements went beyond what was reasonably required for presidential security.

Macpherson described the spending as excessive and said public money had been improperly used on private, non-security features.

The Constitutional Court later found that Zuma had failed to uphold the Constitution by not complying with the Public Protector’s remedial action.

He was subsequently required to repay a portion of the costs linked to non-security upgrades.

State’s role limited to security

Macpherson’s response indicates that the state’s responsibility is limited to legitimate security infrastructure rather than general repairs or improvements across the homestead.

The supplied report did not detail which parts of the property had deteriorated or what repairs were required.

It also did not indicate whether any security-related maintenance was outstanding.

For now, the government’s position is that Zuma must maintain the private and non-security sections of the Nkandla property himself.