Van Rooyen grilled on links to Gupta firms
• Minister refuses to answer parliamentary portfolio committee questions about his links with Gupta companies
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen arrived at a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on Tuesday expecting to account for his department’s performance, but MPs had other ideas and grilled him about his relationship with the Gupta-linked companies Trillian and Regiments.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen arrived at a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on Tuesday expecting to account for his department’s performance, but MPs had other ideas and grilled him about his relationship with the Gupta-linked companies Trillian and Regiments Capital.
Van Rooyen looked uncomfortable as MPs questioned him about his links to the Gupta family and his adviser, Mohamed Bobat, who accompanied him to the Treasury in December 2015 during his short-lived stint as finance minister.
Portfolio committee member Kevin Mileham (DA) questioned Van Rooyen on the department’s relationship with Trillian and Regiments, as well as the minister’s personal relationship with the Gupta family and Bobat.
The minister refused to answer his questions on whether the Gupta-owned Sahara Computers company had sponsored a one-day “personal trip” to Dubai for him, but then claimed that he had disclosed it.
This was despite the fact that both his 2015 and 2016 declarations of interest as an MP reflected “nothing to disclose” in their travel sections.
Mileham asked Van Rooyen what experience, skills and attributes Bobat had to warrant his appointment as the minister’s adviser. He also asked when he first met Bobat and whether he had met the Guptas.
Van Rooyen invoked the sub judice rule and declined to answer most of the questions.
The minister is expected to appear before the judicial inquiry into state capture that is to be chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Chairwoman for the portfolio committee on public enterprises Zukiswa Rantho told Business Day that Van Rooyen’s name was not on the list of witnesses to make submissions to the state capture inquiry.
Co-operative affairs governance and traditional committee member Nokukhanya Mthembu (ANC) asked Van Rooyen whether the department had commissioned Trillian to do a diagnostic study. He responded that no transactions had taken place between the two.
By the end of the meeting, Van Rooyen was struggling to answer questions both directly related to the department’s work, as well as those related to claims that Bobat through Van Rooyen had facilitated lucrative work with the department for Trillian and Regiments.
Mileham accused ANC MPs in attendance of protecting the minister and hinted that he would refer his questions that were unanswered by Van Rooyen to the judicial inquiry on state capture or a court of law.