The reports also dealt with the issue of a Mercedes Benz ML, which the Police Ministry said was falsely attributed to Mthethwa.
"I welcome the Auditor-General's report which clears my name unconditionally against any wrongdoing. While I noted with concern the continued innuendos of corruption levelled against me and my name being dragged in the mud, I nevertheless allowed the Auditor-General to conduct the investigation. Today, I feel vindicated because the truth has been confirmed," the minister said in a statement on Friday.
"I have consistently stated that I have not inappropriately benefited or abused state funds in building a wall around my private residence. Furthermore, I reiterated that I had not seen let alone driven the Mercedes Benz vehicle which was falsely attributed to me. I am therefore satisfied and further wish to thank the Auditor-General for a thorough, objective and comprehensive process," Mthethwa added.
While the Auditor-General's report confirmed that the wall around the minister's private property was built using secret services funds from SAPS: Crime Intelligence, it found no evidence showing that the minister knew where the money for the erection of the wall came from.
"There is no evidence that indicates that the minister knew that the wall was being erected using secret services funds. There is no evidence that links the minister to the contravention of the policy and procedures related to the secret services fund," reads the Auditor General's report.
The report also found that no evidence could be provided to indicate that the minister was involved in giving the instruction to conduct a risk assessment on his private property or was involved during the risk assessment process.
"No documentation and information was provided to link the SUV referred to in the newspaper report to the minister. Statements taken from the protectors of the minister indicate that they had no recollection of driving or utilising the Mercedes-Benz SUV to transport the minister," the report read.
The report, which took three months to complete, further included the findings, conclusions and recommendations.
One of the recommendations was that the monitoring and accountability practices between the department and the minister be strengthened and that timely action is taken in instances of non-compliance.
The ministry added that Mthethwa had over the past months noted and publicly expressed his concerns over a concerted media campaign by some journalists, who continued to peddle untruthful, misleading and unfounded articles without any substantiated evidence.
"Throughout this ordeal, the Minister had maintained his innocence while the due processes were underway. At the time, he cautioned against those who peddled these allegations, saying he hoped they were not confusing security measures of which, like any other Cabinet minister he was entitled to in accordance with various legislative policies such as the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury Regulations, Ministerial Handbook, amongst others," it added.
Mthethwa has consulted his legal team and is awaiting legal opinion and advice, following the final report.
