DA welcomes Public Protector's investigation into "Guptagate"

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela's decision to investigate certain aspects of the scandal surrounding the landing of the Jet Airways Airbus at AFB Waterkloof, which became known as "Guptagate".

This morning Advocate Thuli Madonsela, advised me, in a letter dated 21 August 2013, that: 

• the request to investigate the role of President Jacob Zuma and members of his Cabinet in the process and events leading up to the landing of the aircraft had been rejected due to insufficient evidence; and
• the request to investigate the conduct of the JCPS Task Team, which allegedly made findings against the South African Air Force's Lieutenant-Colonel Christine Anderson, without having given her an opportunity to respond before the report was published, would be investigated.

We welcome the fact that the Public Protector will effectively be investigating the investigation into "Guptagate". However, it is obviously very disappointing that the Public Protector will not be investigating the role of President Zuma and his Cabinet in "Guptagate".

We have maintained from the start that the JCPS Task Team's investigation was a carefully crafted damage control exercise designed to protect President Zuma and members of his Cabinet from the political fallout generated by "Guptagate".

We are not going to give up.

We will continue to investigate "Guptagate" with a view to gathering more evidence on the role of President Jacob Zuma and members of his Cabinet.

We will then consider approaching the Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, to review her decision not to investigate the role of President Zuma and his Cabinet in "Guptagate".

In the end, President Jacob Zuma and members of his Cabinet must be held accountable for "Gupagate".

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, August 28 2013

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