Mosebenzi Zwane expected to appear in court on Wednesday

National News/ 28 September 2022, 11:15am / Staff Writer

Mosebenzi Zwane: image supplied 

By Staff Writer: Former mineral resource minister and Free State agriculture MEC Mosebenzi Zwane is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, in connection with the alleged Vrede Dairy Project scandal.

In the last part of his State Capture Inquiry report, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo recommended that Zwane face criminal investigation over Vrede.

He also slammed him for failing to perform his oversight function as the then MEC.

Zondo also suggested that the Free State government should get legal advice over whether it should sue Zwane “to recover such monies as may be recovered from him that were lost by the [Department of Agriculture and Rural Development] in the Vrede Dairy Project as a result of his failure, to perform their legal obligations”.

“It is necessary that there be consequences for people who fail to do their job. Otherwise, this corruption and these acts of state capture are going to continue forever to the detriment of the country and all people,” Zondo said.

Zwane has not responded to requests for comment.

The matter is one of the nine “seminal” state capture-related cases National Prosecuting Authority head Shamila Batohi spoke about in May.

At the time, Batohi said the NPA’s Investigating Directorate intended to enrol the cases within six months.