South Africa's Jacob Zuma to refund money he spent to renovate his private home

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Image captionThe government has said the upgrades were made to boost security

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has agreed to repay some of the $23m (£15m) the government controversially spent on upgrading his private rural home.

In 2014, a report by the public protector said Mr Zuma "benefited unduly" from the upgrades.

Mr Zuma said the auditor-general and finance minister should determine how much he should repay to end the dispute.

The announcement comes a week before a constitutional hearing on the matter.

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How President Zuma's Nkandla home has grown

The refurbishment of the residence in the village of Nkandla, in Mr Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal, has turned into a major political controversy in South Africa.

Some of of the money was spent on building an amphitheatre, swimming pool, and cattle enclosure. 

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Spending on presidents' private homes:

Media captionSatellite images showed Mr Zuma's growing residence

• PW Botha: $16,100
• FW de Klerk: $22,000
• Nelson Mandela: $2.9m on two residences
• Thabo Mbeki: $1.1m
• Jacob Zuma: $23m on rural Nkandla residence

All figures in 2013 financial terms

Source: Public protector report

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