Nene visited Guptas ‘to not offend JZ’
FORMER finance minister Nhlanhla Nene yesterday said he visited the Guptas’ Midrand offices and Saxonwold compound at least eight times, but he did so only so that he did not antagonise former president Jacob Zuma or his friends.
Nene returned to the commission of inquiry into state capture to conclude his evidence and said it was difficult not to honour the invitation of people who bragged about employing the president’s son and were advising him on economic issues.
Nene said he visited the Guptas six times when he was deputy finance minister between 2009 and 2014, and twice during his first stint as finance minister between 2014 and 2015.
Nene, who resigned in October as finance minister following revelations that he had been dishonest about his visits to the Guptas after testifying at the commission, said he got details of his visits from his protector’s logbook.
He said the commission was unlikely to get volunteers to give evidence considering the price he paid after giving evidence last year.
He said he stepped down after it emerged he did not disclose previous engagements with the Guptas.
In an interview after he was axed by Zuma in December 2015, Nene said, he did not respond honestly.
”I took the easy way of not responding honestly. If I had held another office, I would have asked for special leave to clear my name,” he said.
Nene added: “I thought that with this cloud hanging over my head, perhaps I should vacate my position.”
He resigned due to the nature of the impropriety and out of respect for the office of finance minister.
Nene also addressed the EFF’s campaign against him shortly before he testified before the commission in October, describing it as an attempt to tarnish his image and bring his evidence into question.
He told the commission EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, whose younger brother Brian was implicated in the looting of VBS Mutual Bank, tried to lobby him not to place the financial institution under curatorship soon after he was reappointed finance minister in February last year.
Nene also revealed his son, Siyabonga, sought business opportunities with Zuma’s son, Duduzane. They were to buy a mine in Brakfontein, but his son pulled out after doing a due diligence.
Nene dismissed suggestions that during his tenure as Public Investment Corporation chairperson, his son and business partner Amir Mirza received funding from the PIC to buy an oil refinery in Mozambique. He said Siyabonga derived no benefit from the PIC investment in the oil refinery and resigned from the company.