Guptagate air force colonel may escape charges

THE air force colonel who linked President Jacob Zuma to the Guptagate scandal could escape prosecution.

Lieutenant-Colonel Christine Anderson of the South African Air Force allegedly allowed an aircraft bringing wedding guests from India to a Gupta family wedding to land at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria in April last year.

Only the chief of the air force may allow a private flight to land there.

Pikkie Greeff, acting on behalf of Anderson, said Colonel Francis Botha, the acting chief prosecutor for the Thaba Tshwane military base, had told him the case could be withdrawn. Greeff is national secretary of the South African National Defence Union.

“She [Colonel Botha] confirmed to me that a presentation was made to the director of military prosecutions, Brigadier General Ruben Mbangatha, last month to withdraw the charge. She said according to her evaluation, there may not be enough evidence,” said Greeff.

Anderson’s attorney, Jean Griesel, said he would ask Botha’s office to either prosecute Anderson or withdraw the charge.

“They have been dragging their feet. My client is going on pension in September and this needs to be cleared.”

Griesel said he also had instructions to sue the government for defamation for a report by the justice, crime prevention and security clus- ter, which investigated the landing.

The report said Anderson’s “activities” and those of the chief director of state protocol in the Department of International Relations, Bruce Koloane, “were a serious dereliction of duty”.

Koloane was demoted after pleading guilty to abusing state diplomatic channels by facilitating an illegal request for the landing.

Anderson lodged a complaint with the public protector in June against the findings of the report.

In an affidavit soon after the landing, Anderson said she was phoned by Koloane, who asked her about capacity at Waterkloof for the landing of an Airbus A330.

“He also mentioned that . . . No 1 has knowledge about the flight. No 1 is the president of the Republic of South Africa,” she said.

Zuma denied to parliament that he knew of the flight.

A defence spokesman said information on Anderson’s case would be provided tomorrow.