Diplomat defended

Despite former chief of state protocol Bruce Koloane admitting he abused his diplomatic powers in order to facilitate the Gupta Air Force Base Waterkloof landing in 2013, then-minister of international relations and cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane still wrote to former president Jacob Zuma, recommending him as SA ambassador to the Netherlands.

Testifying before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo yesterday, Nkoana-Mashabane said when she nominated Koloane, she did not state in the nomination letter that he had played a significant role in the Waterkloof landing debacle. However, she said she had verbally told Zuma.

Nkoana-Mashabane is now minister of women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The Gupta family landed a commercial aircraft at the air force base without permission. It carried about 200 guests who were invited to attend the family’s lavish wedding at Sun City.

Koloane also admitted to using Zuma’s name, as well as the names of two other ministers, to pressure officials to expedite the processing of the flight clearance request.

Defending her decision to nominate Koloane, Nkoana-Mashabane said: “How do I keep the person coming to work and doing nothing, and [has] experience?”

She said there were 17 other nominees.

Koloane had already faced a disciplinary hearing and two-month suspension without pay.

“He wasn’t sent to a big country. We sent him to a limited space… we had no other way of keeping him at home and doing nothing.

“But we [were] also considerate of the fact that it cannot be that he is going to be in a space where he can have an opportunity to repeat the same mistake.”

Zuma had the power not to appoint Koloane, she said.

“[Koloane] was not appointed in secret. Post-nomination, there is a six-month period where the head of state can change his mind.”

Koloane had confessed to what he had done wrong and never wasted anyone’s time.

Koloane resigned as ambassador after being recalled over his testimony at the state capture commission.

– News24 Wire