Cape Town - A special task team from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was keeping an eye on the proceedings at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and other ongoing inquiries said Justice Minister Michael Masutha.
Masutha was responding in Parliament to the DA’s Glynnis Breytenbach, who wanted to know if he had engaged acting National Director of Public Prosecutions Silas Ramaite to establish a properly resourced task team to deal with revelations at the Zondo Commission, the Nugent Commission of inquiry and others.
The minister said a team had been put together under the NPA’s special commercial crimes unit to work on the Estina dairy farm matter.
He also said he had visited both the NPA and the Special Investigating Unit and encouraged them to co-operate and support the work of the commission, as well as to ready themselves for any matter that might be referred to them.
But the DA’s Werner Horn said it was not comforting news that the unit that dealt with the Estina prosecution had been earmarked to deal with revelations from the inquiry.
“South Africa knows that they have barely been able to prevent the case being struck from the roll because of their ineptitude,” Horn said.
Masutha said the special commercial crimes unit was the best they had in the country, judging by its performance.
Masutha also said while authority to investigate crime was vested in the SAPS, there was collaboration with the NPA through the prosecutor-guided investigation.
“This is to ensure that when police investigate, they receive guidance that will ensure a successful prosecution.”
Asked if any cases had been prepared from the commission’s inquiry, Masutha said the commission had really only begun its work in earnest just a few months ago.
“Obviously, some of the evidence that has been led up to now is still at preliminary stages, so we will have to establish a firm decision on whether possible criminality may have occurred or not.
“Both the SIU and NPA, I’m sure even the Hawks, are observing these proceedings in order to determine whether there is evidential material that is emerging that may justify particular criminal action against individuals as result of revelations that come out of the ongoing inquiry,” said Masutha.