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- The Zondo commission has heard that former Free State Prime Minister Ace Magashule allegedly instructed the human settlements department to give contracts to a particular person to build houses.
- Former Free State human settlements chief Mpho Mokoena testified before the commission on Wednesday.
- The focus is on the R1 trillion Free State housing plan.
The state’s capture investigation has heard that former Free State Prime Minister Ace Magashule allegedly gave instructions for the appointment of a particular contractor to build houses in Kroonstad, and to expedite the contractor’s claims.
This is according to the former head of the Free State human settlements department, Mpho Mokoena, who testified for a second day before Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo.
The commission is targeting a 1 billion rand Free State housing plan, which has been described as “completely flawed” and “fraudulent.”
In 2010 and 2011, the government of the Free State was destined to build thousands of low-cost houses and although the foundations were laid and building materials were bought, the houses were never built.
The commission has also heard that the provincial department spent more than R500 million before any work was done. You have also heard that the then MEC Mosebenzi Zwane selected who should be part of the project.
Money
The money was spent after the national department threatened to transfer the Free State budget to other “better performing provinces” because the province did not spend the allocated money.
Mokoena told the commission that Zwane devised a plan on how to spend the money.
He also said that when the national department found the scheme illegal, Zwane still wanted to continue.
On Wednesday morning, Mokoena was asked about Rochelle Els and if she had received contracts from the department, and if Zwane had told her about his relationship with Magashule.
Mokoena replied, “Right, Chairman. He (Zwane) told me that we need to make sure that this contractor gets a contract to build houses in Kroonstad because that’s the Premier’s instruction and when the projects started running, when the time comes for the to present the claims, he would come and tell me that we need to expedite the claims because the prime minister wants those claims to be expedited, “Mokoena said.
Mokoena also gave evidence that Zwane had given him a list of 106 contractors to name, and that some were supposedly “close” to him.
READ | State capture investigation: ‘Quit’ if you object to my plans, Zwane allegedly told department head
Mokoena told the commission about an exco meeting, chaired by Magashule, where the National Treasury said the anticipated material scheme “was not correct.”
He added that exco was aware of the financial implications of the plan.
When asked what Magashule’s attitude was during the meeting, Mokoena said that she had not come to a “detailed and conclusive decision on what to do about it, on that subject as it was discussed and I think the person came especially for that from the National Department of Finance to come and inform the exco at that meeting that day.
ANALYSIS | The billion rand housing plan that paved the way for future state capture
Mokoena was also asked if she could say that Zwane definitely knew that the plan was illegal.
He said: “I knew it was illegal, because the first time he mentioned it I replied that I told him it was illegal, so he tried ways to make sure I was convinced of the legality of the scheme … and the mere fact that he didn’t want to tell us who the person who advised you is, then there is something he is hiding from us. “
Mokoena resigned from the department in December 2011, saying she was under pressure following public announcements from Magashule during the province’s Operation Hlasela that the province would be building more houses, while there was no capacity to do so.
