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Parliament adopts “in principle” terms of reference of State Capture Inquiry

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Parliament’s Mineral Resources Committee has “in principle” adopted terms of reference for its State Capture Inquiry into former Minister Mosebenzi Zwane. This follows the release of the Public Protector’s State of Capture report in October 2016.

Parliamentary committees have been instructed to probe aspects and entities in their scope. The Mineral Resources Committee has taken some time to institute its Inquiry.

This is partly because Zwane failed to appear before the committee several times to respond to allegations. However on Wednesday, the committee deliberated on its draft terms of reference.

Among those allegations – is the probing role Zwane played in the sale of Optimum Mine from Glencore to Gupta linked company, Tegeta Resources. He is also being investigated for wasteful expenditure after not using flights paid for by the state.

He allegedly travelled with the Guptas to Switzerland and later to Dubai in their private aircraft. The inquiry will also probe the handling of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund by the Department, which was allegedly against the Mineral and Petroleum Development Act.

It will also probe whether the hiring and firing of some staff at the Department were due to external influences.

Meanwhile, Parliament’s Legal Advisor Fatima Ibrahim, who will act as the evidence leader in the Inquiry, will now draft a timetable. The committee will soon debate the witness list in a closed meeting.

“The committee must be alone to the fact that there may be reason at this stage to keep confidential some of those witnesses until such time that we’ve spoken to them and they have indicated their willingness to appear before the committee. Of course any person can be summonsed or subpoenaed to appear before the committee,” says Ibrahim.

Chairperson of the Committee Zet Luzipho says, “I hate to be a pessimist, I’m always optimistic, can you take into consideration that the time is no longer on our side, looking even on the programming of Parliament, we will have to take those things into consideration.”

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