Former DA councillor says he could see Estina project was a scam

Former DA councillor at the Phumelele Municipality in Vrede, Doctor Radebe says he could see from the beginning that the Estina Dairy Farm project was a scam.

Radebe is testifying at the State Capture Commission in Johannesburg.  He says that he first heard about the project at a council meeting in August 2011 which he described had been hijacked by then Free State Agriculture Head of Department, Peter Thabethe.

He says in a presentation that was not on the council agenda, Thabethe spoke about a cash injection to Vrede of about R1 billion.

“In the council, I was the only person who’s clued up about Agriculture because I have been farming since 2003. The council was so excited because figures made people excited, but when you look at the bigger picture, you could see that from the beginning that this thing was a little bit like a scam. They came in the council with no feasibility study, no business plan, no budget; they just threw in figures without giving documentation on how these figures will be generated. ”