Vrede Dairy Farm case postponed

Seven of the eight suspects in the corruption case involving the Vrede Dairy Farm project appeared at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges related to corruption and money laundering.

This is the project launched in 2012 whose funds were allegedly pilfered to the benefit of the billionaire Gupta family. It was one of several high-profile state capture-related cases which the police ministry and top cops updated parliament on this week.

The case was postponed to Tuesday to allow Magistrate Collin Nekosi to peruse all the documents which were submitted by both the defence and the state yesterday.

The Democratic Alliance was embroiled in a court battle with public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane over her report on the project. They object to the fact the then Free State Premier Ace Magashule and former agriculture MEC Mosebenzi Zwane were not individually investigated.