Mentor breaks down in tears as she raises alarm over her safety

Former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor told the commission of inquiry into state capture that she is worried about her safety in the hotel she is staying at while she testifies at the commission.

In closing her testimony on the fifth day of the commission, Mentor broke down in tears, saying she did not want to raise an alarm but she had discovered that the latch on her hotel door was not working.

Mentor said she notified hotel management which then fixed the latch.

“I’m worried to go back to a hotel room that I don’t know if it has been fiddled with,” Mentor said.

Commission chair Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo instructed the inquiry’s legal team to look into the matter and assured Mentor that her safety would be dealt with.

Mentor is expected to conclude her testimony tomorrow.

During her testimony, Mentor accused the Hawks of drafting a statement that was inconsistent with what she had said.

Testifying last week, former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas said the Hawks had tried to kill a case involving allegations that he had been offered the position of finance minister by a Gupta brother for R600 million.

Jonas testified that the Hawks drafted a statement that would kill the case and that Jonas would have to sign the statement which intimated that he, Jonas, was not a witness in the matter, had not opened a case and did not intend to open a case against any person, and did not wish to make a statement.

Mentor said a Mandla Mtolo, who identified himself as an advocate with the Hawks, told her the errors in the typed version of her statement had been the result of the typist being an Afrikaans speaker.

The former ANC MP, however, said she could not accept this as a valid reason because all the typist had to do was type what was in front of her eyes in the form of her written statement.

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