The arms deal probe hit new snags on Thursday after two key members of Judge Willie Seriti’s team were axed. One for his links with one of the arms companies, and the other for taking public money to probe KwaZulu-Natal police but failing to deliver any results.
The axing of two of the three evidence leaders in the Seriti Commission of Inquiry into the arms deal of the late 1990s came after normal vetting and probity-checking processes, said commission spokesman William Baloyi.
Appointed in November last year, the commission of inquiry has drawn growing criticism for alleged heel-dragging.
Questions have also been raised about the original staff – the senior evidence leader was also a presidential appointment to the Judicial Service Commission, and President Jacob Zuma and late commission secretary Mvuseni Ngubane had an alleged personal relationship.
The commission was appointed by Zuma on the last day left to him to respond to a Constitutional Court challenge by arms deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne and others.
The commission has now used up more than a quarter of the two years allocated to complete its work and report back to Zuma – without any public hearings yet.
Confirming on Thursday that advocates Vas Soni and Sthembiso Mdladla – slotted for the key role of leading and assessing evidence – were “no longer part of the staff complement”, Baloyi declined, however, to comment on the reasons.
Soni confirmed that in recent meetings with Judge Seriti, questions had been raised about his having represented the French arms company manufacturer Thint (formerly Thompson CSF) in the wake of searches by the now defunct Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions).
“The issue was raised as a problem,” Soni said. “I didn’t see it as something that would compromise my independence, but Judge Seriti did.”
Soni said he had not been informed of his removal from the Seriti team.
In the case of Mdladla, according to a Financial Mail report, it was reporting by Independent Newspapers that set off the alarm bells. In March it was reported that seven years ago, Mdladla had been appointed to head a high-level inquiry into service delivery and efficiency in the KwaZulu-Natal police – after a series of scandals, including deaths in detention, rampant lawsuits against serving officers as a result of alleged abuses of power, and the like.
Funded to the tune of R10 million – with R2.4 million going to Mdladla – the inquiry never resulted in any report-back to the provincial legislature.
Mdladla said he had no comment on his axing.
DA defence spokesman David Maynier questioned why it had taken so long to get the commission’s house in order. It is “imperative that the integrity of the inquiry into the arms deal should be beyond question”, he said.
“The fact that advocate Mdladla, was involved in a dodgy provincial commission of inquiry in KwaZulu-Natal was public knowledge when he was appointed,” Maynier said.
The Institute for Accountability’s Paul Hoffman welcomed the moves.
“It seems Judge Seriti has applied his mind to possible conflicts of interest and to the suitability of candidates to undertake the work. Only good can come of it.”
Baloyi remained upbeat, saying the “road map” for the commission’s work was still being followed with a budget of R40 million to grind into motion.
Moves to appoint new evidence leaders were already “advanced”.
Baloyi also said that following the death of commission secretary Mvuseni Ngubane two weeks ago, apparently a suicide, a new secretary had been identified and would in all probability be appointed in the coming weeks.
– Additional reporting by Gaye Davis and Wendy Jasson da Costa
Pretoria News