LIVE FEED: State Capture Inquiry October 29, 2019

Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, who heads the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency (ANA).

Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, who heads the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency (ANA).

Published Oct 29, 2019

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Johannesburg - The Zondo commission will hear Eskom related testimony on Tuesday morning. 

The first session will evidence related to The New Age with Eskom's acting general manager for marketing and branding, Pieter Pretorius, is expected to take the stand. 

The commission will also hear former Eskom divisional executive for corporate affairs Chose Choeu. 

On Monday the inquiry wrapped up the testimony of former Free State head of department for agriculture Peter Thabethe. 

He was testifying about the failed Vrede dairy farm project. 

He had headed the department of agriculture and played a key role in the appointment of Estina, a Gupta-linked company, as a partner for the government in the Vrede dairy farm project.

The project was meant to up-lift black emerging farmers, but little of funds went towards the project. It had been reported that some of the funds were distributed to various Gupta-linked bank accounts. 

WATCH FEED HERE

 

Advocate Leah Gcabashe led Thabethe in the questioning regarding how aware was his office of the possible misuse of funds. In reports submitted by Estina to the department, it was found that some of the funds were misused. Approximately $5 million was paid to a company called Gateway for a feasibility study. 

 

Further investigations and site visits by some government officials found that the study was inadequately done and would need to be redone. Thabethe said he relied on his juniors to approve reports supplied by Estina and that he was not aware of everything. 

 

Gcabashe and commission chair deputy Raymond Zondo questioned Thabethe on why they did not question Estina on its use of such a large sum of money to pay consultants. Gcabashe said it implied a lack of care of how government money was spent.

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