Guptas to feature as Zuma completes cycle of questions in Parliament for 2016

The Gupta family and the public protector’s State of Capture report will again feature when President Jacob Zuma makes his last appearance of the year in Parliament on Wednesday.

First up is the United Democratic Movement’s Bantu Holomisa’s question about whether Zuma “has applied his mind to the proposal of the Inter-Ministerial Committee… to look into the closure of the accounts of Oakbay Investments”.

This committee was chaired by Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane‚ who controversially issued a statement on September 1 in which he called for the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry into the termination of financial services to Gupta-owned Oakbay Investments.

The Presidency said the following day that Zwane’s statement was issued in his personal capacity and not on behalf of Cabinet.

Zwane also features in Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane’s question to Zuma.

He wants to know if the president “and/or his legal team instructed” Zwane‚ and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen “to lodge applications to interdict the release of the Public Protector's report‚ entitled State of Capture‚ due to the specified persons' alleged relationships with the Gupta family?”

Zwane and Van Rooyen both dropped their court bids to halt the issuing of the report‚ as did Zuma‚ in the face of a legal challenge by four political parties.

A Presidency statement said Wednesday’s “session will complete the president's cycle of questions in Parliament for 2016‚ after he appeared in the National Council of Provinces for Oral Replies on 25 October 2016”.

– TMG Digital