[ad_1]
By Samkelo Mtshali 
10h ago
Johannesburg – Former mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane on Friday rejected claims that he had authorized the advance payment of 1 billion rand for the Free State housing project, in which millions of rand were wasted on illegal prepayments to contractors and suppliers. for work not delivered.
Zwane testified before the Zondo Commission on the controversial Free State housing project that saw up to R1 billion paid to around 106 contractors to build 14,000 houses during his time as MEC in the Free State provincial government.
Despite previous testimony from Free State housing officials who placed him at the center of organizing the provider and contractor advance payment plan that he allegedly specifically chose, Zwane vehemently denied those claims, as he had also done in his previous appearance before the commission in September. .
Zwane said during a prepayment meeting that he had questioned other officials about why they couldn’t help contractors with construction materials to address the issues that had arisen.
Zwane also denied threatening the former head of the Free State Housing department, Mpho Mokoena, with firing when asked about these allegations by the commission’s lead evidence advocate, Paul Pretorious.
Pretorious had questioned Zwane about an alleged meeting between Zwane and Mokoena during which Zwane had threatened Mokoena.
“There was no meeting between Mr. Mokoena and me outside of the formal meeting where everyone was present. There was no such comment because, if I remember correctly, the final discussion of the meeting was actually in favor of Mr. Mokoena.
“The resolution was that Director General Mr. Mmusi Tsoametsi should go and do extensive research on all the issues that were raised at the meeting and report back to HOD, which was Mr. Mokoena. In that process, I believe that Mr. Mokoena would have addressed any issue that concerned him, ”Zwane said.
He also denied Mokoena’s claim that he had used an expression from SeSotho saying that he would walk alongside her shoes, meaning that Mokoena would remain poor if he was not prepared to accept the plan to make advance payments to suppliers, saying that he did not remember have made such a comment.
“I never said anything like that, in fact, if we go back to the investigations, you would realize that the prepayment issue was implemented before this document we are talking about was finalized.
“At the meeting of November 18 according to the investigations, Mr. Mokoena in a report to the investigators agreed to the point that when the meeting was being discussed, that point of the advance was already made. It’s here in black and white, ”Zwane said.
Political Bureau
[ad_2]
