Less than two years after it was erected, the multi million rand high-security perimeter fence around President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla home is falling apart.

The Sunday Times said it had visited Nkandla and found parts of the fence entirely broken and other sections patched with logs and other objects.

The president's 8.9ha private homestead in KwaZulu-Natal was surrounded by two rings of 3m-high fence -- an internal fence that cost R8.2m and the outer fence, which was collapsing.

According to Sunday Times there was even damage to the fence close to Zuma's main residence within the compound.

Other defects reportedly included:

• The fence near one of the guardhouses along the dirt road around the homestead appears to have been knocked down;
•  The section of the fence around the rondavels built for security personnel had completely collapsed and was being supported by logs.
• There was a gaping hole in the fence around the security complex as well as a temporary patch on some of the fence.

The contract to install the fence was awarded to Durban businesswoman Thandeka Nene whose company secured work worth R98m on the project. However, the contract was cancelled due to non-performance and given to Betafence Projects, at R9.2m for the job.