The South African Communist Party (SACP) says it is “extremely concerned” at the manner in which Public Protector Thuli Madonsela handled her investigation into upgrades at President Jacob Zuma’s private residence at Nkandla.
This had compromised certain fundamental principles of justice, fairness, and therefore the credibility of the investigation, it said in a statement on Thursday, a day after Madonsela released her report on the matter.
“The use of the media in particular to leak the earlier report, and the habit of making comments on an incomplete process, have all negatively affected and unnecessarily cast aspersions on the person of President Jacob Zuma.”
The SACP also questioned the presence of the media at the release of the report in Pretoria on Wednesday, as well as the timing of the release.
“The media was ‘locked up’ in a board room … for about three hours to go through the final report prior to its release via a press conference, while the affected persons were never given such adequate opportunity. …
