State Capture: Themba Maseko says senior govt officials fear testifying
Themba Maseko had some things to say about the Gupta family.
The commission of inquiry into state capture resumed on Wednesday, after the conclusion of Vytjie Mentor’s testimony, with Themba Maseko in the hot seat.
The former CEO of Government Communications and Information Systems (GCIS) revealed that there are former director generals (DGs), senior public officials and middle managers at certain government departments who may have information on state capture and the Gupta family.
Maseko recalled a memorandum that was drafted by a forum of DGs who called for a probe into the dealings of the Gupta family with national government.
Read – State capture inquiry: Vytjie Mentor reveals “anger and fear” towards Guptas
Apparently, those with information that could be helpful in unravelling the mystery of the Gupta family and state capture are afraid to come forward and testify.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo asked Maseko whether these DGs were comfortable with coming forward to testify at his inquiry.
The former head of GCIS responded by stating that because of the state of the current political climate, it may be possible that the officials would be willing to speak out.
Themba Maseko furnishes details of officials’ probe into state capture in the past
Maseko, in his own words, revealed that himself, Reverend Frank Chikane (former DG in president Thabo Mbeki’s office) and Vusi Pikoli, the former national director of public prosecutions were the authors of the drafted memorandum.
The memorandum sought to highlight the increasingly alarming involvement of the Gupta family in procurement processes, as many officials were questioning the legitimacy of the family’s inner workings with most government departments.
As a result of this – which addresses the question as to why senior government officials had been reluctant to step forward – heads of intelligence agencies were removed from their positions.
This, according to Maseko, was after they had expressed concern over the Gupta family possibly being a security and intelligence risk for South Africa.
Maseko’s testimony will continue as he reveals more about the Gupta family’s involvement in state capture; one of the damning allegations he’s made being that he was, at one point, put under pressure by the Gupta brothers to place adverts on the New Age newspaper.