Gwede Mantashe testifies at Zondo commission
Fraser takes the stand after he was implicated by multiple witnesses at the commission in January.
Minister of Mineral resources and energy, Gwede Mantashe during the swearing in of the new Presidential Cabinet at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria, 30 May 2019. Picture: Jacques Nelles
The Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture was on Wednesday scheduled to hear State Security Agency (SSA) related evidence from former SSA director-general Arthur Fraser.
This is after Fraser’s lawyer, Rapulane Kgoroeadira, walked out of the commission during the testimony of former state security minister David Mahlobo last week, arguing that his client was not informed that he would be implicated.
However, Fraser was a no-show. Mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe is currently on the stand.
“From the last question, it appears that my clients will be implicated. For the record, we’ve not received any notice with regards to today’s proceedings, we just need to place that on record and for that matter, to the extent that I am here and may be perceived to condone the failure to comply with the rules, I will be leaving now,” the lawyer said.
Fraser was due to take the stand after he was implicated by multiple witnesses at the commission in January.
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It was alleged by witnesses that Fraser overlooked operations in the SSA to the value of R125m that were not accounted for.
Fraser also allegedly approved an operation in which SSA operatives were used to infiltrate the ANC’s 2017 Nasrec elective conference.
The former director-general was also implicated in the Principal Agent Network (PAN) report.
Other allegations include Fraser’s decision to withdraw the security clearance of the inspector-general of intelligence “to block the release of information regarding political collusion”.
