STATE CAPTURE INQUIRY

Mark Heywood says he held onto Gupta Leaks e-mails for safekeeping

27 September 2018 - 18:17 By Nico Gous
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Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the state capture inquiry in Parktown, Johannesburg, on September 13 2018.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the state capture inquiry in Parktown, Johannesburg, on September 13 2018.
Image: Masi Losi

Civil rights group Section27 executive director Mark Heywood on Thursday confirmed he held onto a copy of the Gupta Leaks e-mails for safekeeping before they became public.

“I did not hesitate to play my part and ensure that‚ firstly‚ the brave whistle-blowers were protected and‚ secondly‚ in ensuring that the evidence was placed in the hands of a group of ethical‚ professional and courageous journalists‚ who I believed at the time were best placed to ensure the information was presented in the public sphere in a manner which will lead to accountability‚” he said.

He was speaking after state witness advocate Brian Currin told the Zondo Commission of Inquiry on Thursday that SA owes the two whistle-blowers who lifted the lid on the Guptas and others who captured the state a “huge debt”. They are living in exile and fear for their safety.

Heywood said the whistle-blowers remained in exile in fear of the “mafia tentacles of the Zupta network”.

“Hopefully one day‚ before too long‚ we will be able to say their names and welcome them back to a safe and more equal SA,” he said.

The whistle-blowers obtained hard drives from Gupta-owned company Sahara Computers which contained sensitive information on how the infamous family‚ their associates and certain Cabinet ministers had captured SA’s parastatals.

A friend told Currin about the hard drive. Currin dealt with issues of whistle-blowers in the apartheid era. He met his friend and one of the whistle-blowers‚ identified as “Stan”. Later on‚ he also met the second whistle-blower‚ “John”.

The whistle-blowers said in their meetings they do not want the information to go to the police or political leaders because they trusted no-one. Currin made copies and left the hard drive with his trusted friend‚ Heywood.

Heywood said state capture placed the country in danger of economic‚ political and social “collapse”.

“We risked a slide into a gangster state where those who paid the highest price for corruption were the poor … These people stole from poor people.”

Heywood said they did not approach the National Prosecuting Authority‚ the Hawks or other state organs because they believed they were “captured”.

“It was impossible to know who to trust. We believed that our best bet was to ensure that information that pointed to serious criminality and corruption was verified (to the best of our ability)‚ analysed and placed in the public sphere where citizens and those who were committed and still in a position to save South Africa would find the power to ensure that it was taken seriously.”

Heywood said he will make no further public comments on this issue.

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