A "junior official" has admitted lying in the letter stating that President Jacob Zuma had ordered the construction of bachelor flats at Nkandla, according to Police Minister Nathi Nhleko. He said yesterday that a senior superintendent Linde, who had written the letter stating that the police barracks be built, "by order of the President", was merely a junior official who would never have been briefed by the president.Nhleko faced several hours of questioning from members of the parliamentary ad-hoc committee about the spending on and last week's visit to Nkandla."A senior superintendent is at the level of a deputy director," he said, adding that it would be "quite puzzling" for the head of state to issue instructions to someone not in the Presidency and seven levels below him.The letter emerged during the committee's visit to the president's homestead.Nhleko said that Linde, when interviewed by the Special Investigating Unit, had admitted to using Zuma's name in the letter to fast- track the construction.ANC MP Mmamoloko Kubayi queried whether anything happened to Linde as a result of his actions, to which Nhleko responded "of course it hasn't".DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach argued that Linde, whom she said was still secure in his job, was not a junior official."He is a full colonel. There is nothing junior officer-ish about a full colonel."She told Nhleko that Linde had merely signed the letters on behalf of the divisional commissioner.Minister of Public Works Thulas Nxesi said that 12 officials in his department faced disciplinary procedures, but these had been delayed by the media court case to gain access to internal processes.Three criminal charges against three senior officials, including an acting director-general at the time, had been handed to the NPA. The salary of a junior official had been suspended for three months, Nxesi said.There had been "no value for money" and "shoddy" workmanship at Nkandla."What happened there was criminal, by those managing the project," he said, adding that the department would try to recoup R155-million from "the principal agent", architect Minenhle Makhanya.While opposition MPs questioned the quality of the work at the president's home, the costs thereof and the procedures around the security upgrades, ANC MPs said the work needed to be completed as soon as possible.ANC MP Vincent Smith said the 12-month wait to recoup the R155-million meant that Zuma remained unprotected.Nhleko would not comment on a question from ACDP MP Steve Swart about an estimate of R31- million for the remaining work, saying it was "just an estimation", not a "commitment".No figure had been approved by his department.Both Nxesi and Nhleko vehemently denied that the 20 bachelor units cost R135-million, or R6-million each, as this figure included the cost of the clinic and helipad.None of these had been handed over yet as all work on the project, and even maintenance at the president's homestead, had been stopped pending the finalisation of the investigations."Incurring further costs would have been irresponsible on my part," Nxesi said...