page_title: National Key Points Act, 1980
section_title: Nkandla homestead
hierarchical_section_title: National Key Points Act, 1980 / Nkandla homestead
caption_attribution_description: English: President Jacob Zuma's homestead/compound between Kranskop and Eshowe in the greater Nkandla District
context_page_description: The National Key Points Act, 1980 is an act of the Parliament of South Africa that provides for the declaration and protection of sites of national strategic importance against sabotage, as determined by the Minister of Police since 2004 and the Minister of Defence before that. The act was designed during apartheid to secretly arrange protection primarily for privately owned strategic sites. It enables the government to compel private owners, as well as state-owned corporations, to safeguard such sites owned by them at their own cost. The act, still in force and unamended since apartheid, came under the spotlight after President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead was declared a National Key Point in 2010 amid controversy over public expenditure on upgrades to the property. As of 2013, the act is officially under review.
context_section_description: The act came under the spotlight during revelations about public expenditure on President Jacob Zuma's private residence at Nkandla, first exposed by Mail & Guardian journalist Mandy Rossouw in December 2009. The site was declared a National Key Point by then Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa in April 2010, and the act was invoked by government officials in an attempt to justify the expenditure, withhold information about it, and prevent anyone from taking or publishing photographs of the homestead.
  In addition to public expenditure on upgrades not related to security, Zuma did not safeguard his residence at his own cost in contravention of Mthethwa's declaration in terms of the act.
  In her final report on security upgrades to Zuma's Nkandla homestead published on 19 March 2014, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Zuma had unduly benefited from the R246 million the state had spent on the upgrades, criticised Mthethwa and other government officials for maladministration and instructed Mthethwa to urgently institute a review of the act. Mthethwa's term of office as Minister of Police ended in May 2014.
  Following criticism in the media of the photo ban, the government released a clarifying statement that "Government has no problem with the media publishing pictures of National Key Points, including President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla residence, as it is part of their daily line of duty. However, zooming into safety and security features of National Key Points is a challenge as it compromises national security."
caption: President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead was declared a National Key Point in 2010.
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