DA reveals Minister Zwane never declared Gupta India trip

The DA can reveal that Minister Mosebenzi Zwane failed to declare his trip to India in October 2012, which is now widely reported to be a Gupta-sponsored jaunt.

The trip was reportedly paid for by the Gupta family after Zwane successfully pushed the Free State Provincial Government to gift an obscure Gupta-affiliated company, Estina, a 4400 hectare farm and R114 million in funding, in June 2012.

The DA has scrutinized the Declarations of Members' Interests from the Free State Legislature, where Zwane was then an MEC, for all relevant years and can confirm that Zwane makes no mention of this expensive gift from the Guptas.

You can view the declarations here, here and here.

We will therefore submit a formal complaint to the Public Protector, against the Mineral Resources Minister, for misleading the Free State Legislature when he failed to disclose this trip to India.

“[Failing] to declare sponsored foreign travel” and “[executives] using their position or nay information entrusted to them, to enrich themselves or improperly benefit any other person” is in breach of Section 2 (c) (ii) and Section 2 (b) (iv) of the Executive Members Ethics Act.

The rot of the Guptas’ State Capture runs deep in the ANC and even extends to provincial governments.

An investigation by the Public Protector, in terms of Sections 4 (1) and 3 (1) of the Executive Members Ethics Act, must be implemented to hold the Minister to account for his role in the capture of our government.

The ANC has gone above and beyond to enrich the Guptas while our people remain trapped in poverty.

Statement issued by James Lorimer MP, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources, 18 June 2017