Pretoria – Minister of State Security Siyabonga Cwele says the Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster at no time tried to politicise the Public Protector's report on the security upgrades to Nkandla.
“The national executive and parliament have the mandate to uphold the national security of the Head of State. That is what we have been doing and we would like to reaffirm that we will continue to exercise that mandate because it is not optional - we are constitutionally obliged to do so,” said Cwele.
He was addressing media in Pretoria on Thursday, along with the other JCPS Cluster ministers, including Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi.
Cwele said the cluster would continue to cooperate with the Public Protector.
The Public Protector Thuli Madonsela yesterday briefed media on her way forward following the completion of her interim report, saying she hoped that the process would be "depoliticised." She and her team would review the 28-page government submission with a view to assessing the reasonability of the security concerns and where considered reasonable, alter the report.
Mapisa-Nqakula said it was the cluster’s view that there was never a time where they sought to politicise the process.
“It is important to note that there was a never a time when we discussed how we were going to coerce the Public Protector into writing the report in a particular way. I am not aware that we politicised the process.”
Cluster briefs Cabinet
Acting Minister of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Administration, Lindiwe Sisulu, who at the same time briefed media on the outcomes of the latest Cabinet meeting, said Cabinet had been briefed by the cluster on the matter.
“Cabinet was briefed that government’s engagement with the Public Protector on this matter has been premised on the security of the Head of State.
“Cabinet was also briefed that a government task team report on security upgrades at Nkandla had been referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence which subsequently published its own Special Report on this matter. The government task team reported to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence that there was no evidence that the Department of Public Works had paid for the construction of houses for the President,” said Sisulu.
National Key Point Act
Cwele also took the opportunity to caution media or any member of the public not to publicise pictures of the President’s home, which zoom in on the security features.
“The continuing flashing of these pictures of a place which has been declared by the Minister of Police as a National Key Point is not correct – it’s in breach of the law,” he said.
“As a cluster, we appeal to the public… that they shouldn’t break the laws. In terms of the National Key Point Act no one, including those in the media, is allowed to take images and publicise images and point out where the possible security features are. It is not right.”
He said this was not done in other democracies, or other countries. “Let’s respect the laws,” said Cwele. - SAnews.gov.za
