Pretoria - The Public Protector has called for an end to media speculation about her findings and the result of the Special Investigation Unit's (SIU) investigation into the controversial multimillion rand lease for the police head office building.
Advocate Thuli Madonsela has urged the media to wait until the investigation into the lease has been finalised and made public instead of speculating.
Cele has been accused of agreeing to a R500 million property lease with politically connected businessman Roux Shabangu without putting it out to tender.
According to National Treasury regulations, all contracts over R500 000 must go through a competitive bidding process.
Madonsela's comments follows weekend newspaper reports which said that according to official documents submitted to Madonsela and the SIU, the deal to relocate police headquarters was illegal and should have been cancelled through an urgent high court application.
"As far as we are concerned, the information contained in the stories in question does not represent the Public Protector's findings in the matter as the report is still being finalised. There should be a clear distinction between a document that is alleged to have been submitted to the investigation team and a report of the Public Protector," Madonsela's office said in a statement.
It added that Madonsela was evaluating comments received from three organs of state and one complainant. An additional witness was also interviewed.
"The draft report is being scrutinised with a view to establish whether any of the new information calls for the review of any of the findings."
The Public Protector is expected to release the report by mid February.
