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Edward Zuma

Durban — “I hope you’re all happy now that you’ve been inside Nkandla,” said President Jacob Zuma’s son, Edward Zuma, yesterday. The eldest of the president’s children has also pleaded for South Africans to give the family privacy.

The Nkandla ad hoc committee completed its visit to KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday afternoon.

On Wednesday the committee visited the president’s private residence in northern KwaZulu-Natal, viewing the family kraal, swimming pool, cattle enclosure and the visitors centre.

On Thursday the committee met at the Pietermaritzburg legislature, where it spent the day deliberating over its findings on Police Minister Nathi Nhleko’s report.

The committee is scheduled to meet with the ministers of public works and police to clarify outstanding issues.

Zuma said he was angered by the DA’s attempt to politicise Wednesday’s in loco inspection, which was specifically for the media and members of the Parliamentary ad hoc committee.

On Wednesday the tour was briefly halted because officials from the presidency and the police ministry were complaining that the DA officials, who were on an alternative site visit of Nkandla, kept interrupting them with questions.

“If I was there they would have never entered our home.”

When asked about how the family feels about the controversial R246 million homestead he said, “To be honest we haven’t sat down and discussed it with my siblings but I personally hope South Africans are happy and satisfied now. We just want privacy as the family.”

He said he is indifferent when people speak about Nkandla.

“To me Nkandla is just another place in the country. The problem is the opposition, particularly the DA.

“There are so many other important issues that they could raise like labour brokers and the employment of foreign nationals for cheap labour, but they’re obsessed with Nkandla.”

He said the party had tried every trick in the book.

“They must rather raise issues that’ll take the country forward,” said Zuma. — Sapa