DALI Mpofu, at the Section 194 Committee hearing on Tuesday, 23 August, said despite several attempts by Busisiwe Mkhwebane, she never received information about the Vrede Dairy Farm Project.
Mpofu, representing the suspended public protector (PP), said the information was promised by the DA to help in the investigation of alleged corruption.
Mpofu put it to former investigation and integration unit head at the PP’s office, Lufuno Ndou, that Mkhwebane would deny she expressed a wish of no adverse findings against politicians. This included former Free State premier Ace Magashule and former agriculture MEC Mosebenzi Zwane. He said she waited for the information about the beneficiaries from former DA leader Mmusi Maimane, to no avail.
He said that Magashule provided a detailed response to address so-called grey areas in the report.
“The PP version is that despite the noise about the alleged exclusion of direct involvement of these politicians, the opposite is true. She kept digging for more information.”
The project report was released in February 2018, eight months after amaBhugane reported on Gupta Leaks evidence that millions, intended to benefit poor famers, had been spent on a lavish Gupta wedding.
Ndou denied being unfairly targeted by Mkhwebane.
