Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen on Tuesday opposed the intervention application by three opposition political parties who seek the release of the "state capture" report. The Congress of the People‚ the United Democratic Movement and the Economic Freedom Fighters launched an application to intervene in Van Rooyen’s application‚ filed on Monday‚ to remove any reference to him in the report if it is released. Van Rooyen’s counsel Stephan du Toit SC opposed the three parties’ application to intervene‚ but conceded that the Democratic Alliance could intervene as it was the complainant which led to former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela initiating an investigation in March. The investigation concerned an investigation into complaints regarding alleged improper and unethical conduct by President Jacob Zuma or any other persons related to an alleged improper relationship with the Gupta family. Madonsela finalised the report on state capture and intended to release it on her last day in office on October 14‚ but Zuma and Van Rooyen launched urgent bids to stop the release of the report. While the matter was postponed until November 1‚ Van Rooyen withdrew his application on October 21‚ stating that he had been given an assurance by the Public Protector that the report had no adverse findings against him. On the eve of the hearing of the Zuma application‚ Van Rooyen launched a new application to stop the publication of the report‚ insofar as it referred to him. Du Toit said there was an undertaking given to Van Rooyen by the Public Protector last month that the report did not refer to him. Du Toit said Van Rooyen did not enjoy procedural fairness as he was given 24 hours to respond to questions from the Public Protector‚ a deadline he could not promise to adhere to. "What has happened since then is that there were media reports which gave rise to his suspicion that the assurance he had been given was not correct." He was referring to a Sunday Times report on October 30‚ which reported that before he was appointed minister of finance in December last year‚ Van Rooyen visited the Guptas' home in Saxonwold‚ Johannesburg on several occasions. Van Rooyen visited Guptas 7 days in a row prior to appointment as finance ministerDes van Rooyen visited the Gupta family compound not just once, but seven times, in the days before his appointment as finance minister by President Jacob Zuma in December last year. Du Toit said Van Rooyen wrote to the Public Protector to get an assurance that these allegations were not true. Du Toit said Van Rooyen did not receive that assurance. He said the three political parties had no direct substantial interest in Van Rooyen's bid to exercise his procedural rights. Dali Mpofu SC‚ for the UDM and Cope‚ disputed that Van Rooyen's application was urgent. Mpofu said the new application was nothing but an application for the resuscitation of the original application. Mpofu said the investigation by the Public Protector was against the president. "Van Rooyen‚ he is just a piece. It could have been Van Rooyen or XYZ‚" Mpofu said. The matter continues‚ with the court still has to decide which parties to hear in this application.- TMG Digital..