By Lehlohonolo Lehana
The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe says he’ll take the state capture commission report on judicial review.
Mantashe announced this during a media briefing held on Wednesday at the Department of Mineral Resources’ offices.
He said his lawyers were currently going through the report and would be advising him shortly regarding what other legal routes he could take to challenge the report’s findings.
The report noted that the evidence before it showed that the former ANC secretary-general should be investigated in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Precca).
“It sought to be able, through Mantashe and the inducements and gain provided to him, to influence the leadership of those departments and organs of state, a leadership drawn almost exclusively from the ranks of the ANC and falling within the categories of public office bearers listed in the commission’s terms of reference,” the report stated.
In 2019, Mantashe and his head of security, Mzonke Nyakaza, admitted when they took members of the media on tour at his Boksburg home that Bosasa had installed the CCTV cameras and perimeter lights at Mantashe’s three homes.
However, Mantashe said the equipment was installed at the behest of Bosasa executive Papa Leshabane, whom he called a “family friend”.
Leshabane led the operation to have security upgrades done at three of Mantashe’s properties in Johannesburg and Eastern Cape.
Mantashe was at the time adamant that he “was secretary-general of the ANC, not a minister, so it was not like there were any tenders that I could give in return for the installations”.
The evidence that stands is that Mantashe was seen by the leadership of Bosasa as a ‘brilliant connection,’ “although there was no evidence of the company seeking to influence a particular official through him, the report said. “There is a reasonable prospect that further investigation will uncover a prima facie case against Mantashe in respect of the offense of corruption.”
Much of the testimony on Bosasa was given to the commission by Angelo Agrizzi, its chief operating officer, who recounted how stacks of cash were handed over to top officials, including former president Jacob Zuma, in exchange for tenders and protection from prosecution. Gavin Watson, who was the company’s chief executive officer, orchestrated most of the illicit deals, according to Agrizzi, who resigned from Bosasa in 2016.
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