Gordhan says state capture has massively damaged SOEs and economy – report

Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan said state capture has massively damaged South Africa’s economy and its state-owned entities (SOEs).

EWN reports that on Monday the minister was speaking at a Progressive Professionals Forum in the Western Cape.

Gordhan has reportedly called on those implicated in state capture to be dealt with through courts and be punished by being sent to prison.

On Monday, the testimony of former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride at the commission of inquiry into state capture was postponed till Thursday.

The postponement has led to the subsequent postponement of former head of the KZN Hawks General-Major Johan Booysen’s appearance before the commission, whose testimony hinges on McBride’s evidence. Booysen will now testify next Monday.

McBride was expected to first appear before the commission on February 18 but that too was postponed to afford the inquiry’s legal team to hand over notices to implicated parties.

McBride’s sworn statement to the commission is set to lift the lid on how law enforcement agencies failed to carry out their mandate and his evidence is said to be the most damning since that of former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi last month.

Besides implicating high-profile persons, it is said McBride’s testimony will deal with attempts to undermine the mandate and role of Ipid.

Former president Jacob Zuma, ministers, and senior state officials are expected to be among those implicated by McBride.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu. Additional reporting, Brian Sokutu)

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