The mind-boggling waste of taxpayers' money at Nkandla was laid bare yesterday when MPs toured the sprawling estate. Twenty-one thatch-roofed houses built for police and soldiers tasked with protecting President Jacob Zuma stood mostly empty, gathering dust, the verandas covered with goat and cattle droppings.The only sign that people were living there were a few makeshift beds in one of the rondavels.The police and SA National Defence Force members meant to occupy the houses - apparently built at a cost of at least R6-million each - are staying in nearby park homes until the completion of parliament's investigation of the expenditure of R246-million on "security upgrades" at Nkandla.This emerged yesterday during a brief, interrupted, tour of the property by the special ad-hoc committee looking into the expenditure at Zuma's 8.9ha estate.The chairman of the committee, ANC MP Cedric Frolick, described the visit as an "eye-opener". There had clearly been gross inflation of prices during the upgrades and action must be taken against the officials responsible, he said.A clinic built near the estate also stood empty. It is understood that it, too, will be used only once the Nkandla investigation is complete.It has yet to be established who authorised the construction of the security force rondavels - and why quite so many were built.More worrying is that Police Minister Nathi Nhleko, who recently controversially cleared Zuma of responsibility for any of the expenditure, suggested that more public money would have to be spent because the Nkandla estate was still not safe and a new security review would take place.Nhleko's report flew in the face of the recommendations of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, who found that Zuma had benefited unduly from the construction of non-security features such as a pool, amphitheatre, chicken run and cattle kraal, and the president should repay some of the money.Yesterday's tour was cut short after a confrontation between DA MPs and government officials. The opposition MPs wanted to inspect each of the 21 houses, but officials insisted they were all the same.Apart from seeing Zuma's homestead, the DA was in Nkandla to conduct its own visit to the towns and villages in the area to assess the standard of living of ordinary residents.DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said afterwards they would tear apart Nhleko's 50-page report on Nkandla."We will use the next two days to tear apart the report [The ad-hoc committee will continue its sitting in Pietermaritzburg until tomorrow]. This is a complete waste of taxpayers' money, especially when you have people who have no houses. A mini village is built on one man's doorstep and I found it strange that public officials could not provide answers," he said.Nhleko found that the kraal, pool - which he referred to as a "fire pool"- amphitheatre and visitor's centre could all be counted as security upgrades and that Zuma was not liable to pay for them.The police minister also visited the Nkandla estate yesterday.Committee chairman Frolick acknowledged afterwards that the so-called fire pool was a recreational swimming pool.He was shocked by the shoddy workmanship by contractors at the homestead.DA leader Mmusi Maimane said that with national unemployment at 36.1%, and millions of South Africans going hungry every night, it is an insult to the South African people that a quarter of a billion rand of public funds was spent on the private home.'The visit had underlined the findings made by the public protector, he said...