Democrats and constitutionalists cannot take refuge in apartheid legislation for the sole purpose of looting public resources. It should not be forgotten that the ANC cannot and should not simply lay its hands on the apartheid state, but has an obligation to transform it.

Since when has a private residence of a mortal become a key national point?

The controversy unleashed by the Nkandla revamp undermines a core function of the president mandated by the constitution, namely to promote "the unity of the nation and that which will advance the republic".

Our point of departure is South Africa's democratic constitution, not the relics of apartheid misrule. This is a matter of public interest and principle and overrides crass materialism. - Mzukisi Gaba, Cape Town

DO THE president and the Department of Public Works believe the majority of the population cannot count or don't know how much R220-million is ("Scopa to study Nkandla bill," yesterday)?

The security system at Nkandla must be the most expensive for one of the most inefficient presidents in the world.

If Zuma finds his official residence in Pretoria too large, maybe he should not have accepted the job in the first place and would not have had to put up with it. The territory comes with the job.

Zuma's call for freezing of salaries sounds hollow if we take his immense waste of taxpayers' money into account.

That the whole matter of disclosure is shrouded behind the National Key Points Act and security is highly unacceptable. - E Schwentzek, Randburg

IT IS worrying that Nkandlagate was kept secret for long enough for roads and buildings to be completed, meaning that whatever comes to light from the investigation is pointless (are we going to knock down the buildings?). - Rene Marx, by e-mail