Second Nkandla ‘fall guy’ will fight another day after another postponement
Six minutes. That's all it took for the second Nkandla "fall guy" to have his disciplinary hearing postponed in Durban on Wednesday morning.
The hearing would have seen the public works department's Durban-based director of key accounts management‚ Rakesh Dhaniram‚ taking the stand to testify. He is one of 10 department officials charged with flouting tender procedures in the R246-million refurbishment to President Jacob Zuma's homestead.
Last week‚ Sibusiso Chonco‚ had his hearing postponed due to ill-heath.
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Dhaniram would have been the second to testify. However‚ Dhaniram’s lawyer Aslam Moolla requested a postponement‚ saying that some documents had not yet been handed over to him. Without this documentation‚ he argued‚ his client would be prejudiced.
The state's legal representative‚ Adv Deshni Pillay‚ did not object to the postponement.
He told panel chair Adv Nhlanhla Mfeka that Dhaniram had pointed out that much of the documentation provided to and him was not relevant to the charge‚ which required a postponement.
Moolla said these included audio recordings from the Special Investigating Unit when Dhaniram was interviewed by the corruption-busting unit.
DA files papers to force Zuma to disclose Cabinet reshuffle record of decision The Democratic Alliance (DA) has filed an urgent application with the North Gauteng High Court seeking to force President Jacob Zuma to supply reasons for his executive decision for the recent Cabinet reshuffle‚ including the firing of finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.
“I confirmed the adjournment by consent after liaising with my learned friend‚” said Moolla.
Mfeka granted them the indefinite postponement.
Dhaniram’s hearing was scheduled to run over three days.
The Nkandla hearings commenced in 2014 but had to be suspended following a legal dispute over whether the media should have access to the proceedings.
According to an SIU report‚ Dhaniram and Chonco flouted the open tender procedures in approving “a nominated procurement strategy for emergency building and civil works”.