While there has been much fuss about the security at South African President Jacob Zuma’s personal abode at Nkandla, things have fallen apart on that front at his official provincial residence in KwaZulu-Natal. There is a gaping hole in the 4-metre-high, multimillion-rand bullet-proof security fence erected in 2009 to beef up security around the historic John L. Dube House – formerly King’s House – in Morningside, Durban.

The fence, part of an installation that was believed to have cost taxpayers R50 million, has been in that state since Christmas, according to readers who tipped off The Independent. One of the many panels it is made up of has come loose and collapsed beside a clump of bamboo trees on the Eastbourne Road side of the property. The electric wiring running along the top of the fence has also been damaged. The special fence, set 10.7 metres away from the much lower exterior fence, was deemed necessary for Zuma’s safety, according to the Department of Public Works.

DA spokeswoman on Safety and Security, Diane Kohler Barnard, said it appeared that there was no security left at the residence. It gives the indication that if the fencing is allowed to collapse, there’s no security. The place could have been broken into and vandalised. “We don’t know. Certainly, there’s no security left.”

John L. Dube House, which is on a 5.26-hectare property, dates back to 1872, according to the website of the Presidency. “King’s House lived up to its name from the beginning. In 1906 it welcomed its first royal guests when their royal highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Princess Patricia paid a quick visit to Durban,” read the site.

“On May 17,2012, President Zuma renamed King’s House Dr John L Dube House, after the highly regarded educationist, journalist and first President of the ruling ANC, Dr John Langalibalele Dube.”