Riyaz Patel
Duduzane Zuma has insisted that he arranged a meeting with Mcebisi Jonas at the Gupta’s Saxonwold home to address rumours the former deputy minister allegedly made about his “uncle” and controversial businessperson Fana Hlongwane.
Appearing at the public inquiry into state capture Monday, the former President Jacob Zuma’s son refuted Jonas’ allegation, levelled at the same inquiry, that Duduzane arranged the meet so that the Guptas could offer him, Jonas, R600 million if he agreed to replace then finance minister Nhlanhla Nene.
During questioning by evidence leader advocate Phillip Mokoena and Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Duduzane was repeatedly asked why he would have been called on to arrange this meeting between Hlongwane and Jonas, who he had confirmed were old friends.
“Firstly, I was not chosen. I decided to put the meeting together because there is a number of things being said in the background. I had raised this with Uncle Fana so by the third time, I asked him: ‘Can we resolve this?’ And I was left responsible for the meeting,” Duduzane told the inquiry.
Duduzane said he had not met Jonas prior to October 2015, which is when Jonas alleges a Gupta brother offered him then finance minister Nhlanhla Nene’s job, in exchange for doing the family’s bidding.
The meeting between Jonas and the Guptas was initially meant to take place at a hotel in Rosebank but a general consensus was met, because of time and proximity issues, to rather have it at the Gupta residence, Duduzane said.
He disputed Jonas’ claim that the former deputy finance minister did not know he was going to the Gupta residence.
“He knew exactly where we were going and who we were going to meet,” Duduzane said.
The commission probed why specifically at the Guptas house, when Duduzane had many other options of hosting the meeting, including Duduzane’s own house, located 600 metres away from the Gupta compound.
He responded that his home was a private residence and not meant for business.
Duduzane said he did not understand why Jonas went to such lengths to tell people about their meeting and that he was offered a ministerial position and claiming that the meeting did not end well. Duduzane said the meeting ended fine and “everything was cool.”
On ANN7, Duduzane said the Gupta-owned TV channel, just like any media house, was entitled to government advertising despite him being the son of former President Jacob Zuma.
Earlier this year, the commission was told how the Gupta family used its relationship with the Zumas to secure deals with government, including government advertising and SABC archive footage worth millions of dollars.
He believed there was no obvious conflict in government providing business to a TV station where he and the former president were heavily involved in.
Duduzane also dismissed allegations that he took former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen to the Gupta residence under false pretences.
Duduzane told the state capture commission that it was, in fact, Booysen’s persistent curiosity about the Gupta family that led them to the Saxonwold home.
He said the visit was meant to give Booysen a sense of who the family was, and it was agreed well in advance that the visit to the Gupta residence would take place.
Duduzane also raised concern over the testimony of former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor’s claims, also made at the Commission, that Duduzane introduced her to a man who was with the Guptas during a flight to China.
In August, Mentor told the commission that the former president’s son approached her while en route to China and presented two members of the Gupta family to her, along with the unnamed individual.
The hearing continues Tuesday.
