Welcome to the Gupta Republic of South Africa: the new minister of mineral resources is an extension of the Gupta family
23 September 2015
The Economic Freedom Fighters notes the appointment of Msebenzi Zwane as the new Minister of Mineral Resources and can now officially announce to the whole of South Africa that the new Minister was appointed by the Gupta family. Msebenzi Zwane is the former agriculture MEC in the Free State, who, together with the Premier Ace Magashule sustained questionable and generally corrupt relationship with the Gupta Family.
Msebenzi Zwane is the one who gave the Guptas linked companies the R570 million dairy project in the Free State, which was later found by National Treasury to be irregular and awarded through faulty and possibly corrupt procurement procedure and practice. The dairy project came as a result of Msebenzi Zwane’s visit to India and building of formal relations with Gupta linked companies, and it was implemented despite the fact that there was no feasibility study and supply chain procedure were not followed.
When they wanted to hold a private wedding in South Africa and use the Waterkloof airbase, the Guptas used Msebenzi Zwane to write a letter inviting the Gupta family to South Africa under the pretext that they are visiting for government related purposes. Msebenzi Zwane is the one who wrote and signed a letter to claim that he invited the Gupta family to South Africa and his letter was part of the attempts to justify the illegal landing of the Guptas aircraft at the Waterkloof airbase.
Throughout the implementation of the largely corrupt and irregular Operation Hlasela in the Free State, Msebenzi Zwane is the one who signed off major projects as Acting Premier in the Free State. We call on the Public Protector to release the report on Operation Hlasela in order to inform the whole country on who Msebenzi Zwane is and what he represents.