MPs fall flat in first attempt to quiz Zwane over Gupta links

Parliament’s mineral resources committee wants to question Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane about his alleged involvement in state capture by the Guptas.

The committee attempted to secure a last-minute meeting on Wednesday with the minister, but he was not available at such short notice and so the engagement will have to take place sometime in future.

Allegations have been made in the leaked Gupta e-mails about the close links between Zwane and the Guptas and the role of Zwane in the acquisition by the Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources of the Optimum coal mine from Glencore. Also questioned is the trip that Zwane made to Dubai.

The inquiry by the mineral resources committee is based on an instruction by National Assembly chairman Cedric Frolick that it and other committees inquire into state capture of entities over which they have oversight.

In particular, they should investigate the role that cabinet ministers might have played in this. The public enterprises committee has embarked on an inquiry of Eskom, Denel and Transnet and is awaiting finalisation of what resources Parliament will make available before it gets under way.

A list of 27 witnesses has been compiled and there have been calls for the inquiry to include the recent sale by the Guptas of their media and coalmining assets.

In reply to a letter sent by mineral resources committee chairman Sahlulele Luzipo as to how the inquiry should be conducted, Frolick said the first action should be an engagement with the minister to hear what he had to say about the allegations. After this, the committee could decide on its approach.

The committee decided to call Zwane immediately to answer questions.

The decision was opposed by the DA’s James Lorimer, who found the committee’s approach unsatisfactory because the impromptu meeting with the minister — if it had taken place — would have been without preparation and subject to severe time constraints.

ANC MP Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela supported the decision that Zwane be called.

Luzipo said a date would be set in future for an engagement with the minister, who had expressed his willingness to appear before the committee.

But this meeting would have to be outside the normal working days of the committee.