Free State says it's acting on Gupta cash cow‚ but won't say how

The Free State Office of the Premier said on Tuesday it has handed Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane a document outlining how it plans to deal with the Vrede dairy project and her instructions to take action against those found to be culpable.

The Public Protector’s report had given the Office of the Premier 30 working days to submit an implementation plan "which would detail plans to deal with findings as well as remedial actions contained in the report".

"The implementation plan also relates to steps that would be taken to initiate disciplinary action (s) against implicated individuals."

The deadline was yesterday (Monday).

The statement merely said the premier's office had complied by handing over the report on deadline.

"The Free State Provincial Government shall continue to cooperate with all law enforcement agencies regarding the Vrede Dairy and any other investigation. It is in the interest of the Free State Provincial Government that this matter is brought to its finality‚" the premier's statement said.

No details were provided.

Mkhwebane had ordered the premier's office to act on government officials implicated in the Gupta-linked multimillion-rand Vrede Dairy Farm scandal for “gross negligence”.

The controversy is about the R220-million given to Estina for the project‚ R30-million which was allegedly channelled towards the Gupta’s lavish wedding in Sun City in 2012. The dairy farm project is also the subject of a Hawks state capture investigation.