The case in which the Special Investigating Unit is seeking to claw back some of the R246m spent on upgrades at former president Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead began on Monday in the Pietermaritzburg high court.
The Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma must pay back some of the money, and the National Treasury determined the amount for non-security related upgrades to be R7.8m.In a 2014 report on the matter, then public protectorproject manager, principal agent and go-between for government officials and Zuma at the time of the upgrades.
It was on his watch that the costs had escalated exponentially, rising by more than 200% in one year. When Makhanya last appeared before judge Pillay earlier this year, he pleaded poverty and said his application to the Legal Aid board had been turned down. He indicated that he was appealing the decision.Advocate Vinay Gajoo, representing the SIU, said the matter had been in the courts since 2014 and needed to be brought to finality in the interests of justice, and there was public interest in the matter.
He indicated that the SIU would call three witnesses: the chief investigator, the architect and a quantity surveyor.
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