POLITICALLY-connected officials implicated in the KZN water purification scandal had their criminal charges withdrawn, despite overwhelming evidence to prosecute.
Yesterday, PricewaterhouseCoopers forensic auditor Trevor White told the Zondo Commission that disgraced former NPA official Advocate Lawrence Mrwebi didn’t offer any explanation when he communicated this decision.
In a meeting also attended by an investigation officer, Mrwebi and a colleague he identified as Advocate Mosing told White that criminal charges against then KZN MEC Peggy Nkonyeni would be dropped.
White said the withdrawal of charges against Nkonyeni had a chain reaction, as it led to the withdrawal of charges against senior KZN ANC member Mike Mabuyakhulu and several other implicated officials.
These included lawyers from Khuboni Attorneys, who were implicated in the Ithaka water scandal.
White revealed how procurement processes were manipulated to favour Ithaka, owned by Uruguayan national Gaston Savoi.
The water purification project was also extended to the Northern Cape.
But White said authorities did not have much luck in KZN, where it appeared there was political intervention.
He said in 2012, Mrwebi led a meeting that informed him and an investigating officer that the matter was being withdrawn.
“They never said who had given an instruction or who had made the decision. It was not clear whether it was their decision or somebody had done it for them,” said White.
He said the withdrawal went ahead, even after KZN acting NPA head Advocate Simphiwe Mlotshwa refused to back down on withdrawing the case.
Mlotshwa was replaced by another acting NPA KZN head, Advocate Moipone Noko, who within two weeks dropped the charges.
White said this surprised many within the NPA.
