State Capture Inquiry: What to expect from Mcebisi Jonas’ testimony

Mcebisi Jonas, the former Deputy Minister of Finance, is set to take the stand in one of the most anticipated testimonies of the commission of inquiry on state capture.

Jonas was one of the first to come forward and expose the alleged inner-workings of the Gupta family. When Nhlanhla Nene was fired in December 2015, South Africans were served with the news of a new Finance Minister, Dez van Rooyen, a man we had never heard about.

Jonas was the one who brought a little perspective into the shady decision to remove the well-reputed Nene. According to the former deputy minister, he was meant to replace Nene.

Read – BREAKING: Mcebisi Jonas admits Guptas offered him Nhlanhla Nene’s job

Mcebisi Jonas testimony will be centred around Finance Minister role

Jonas revealed that the Gupta family had offered him millions of rands to accept the role of Minister of Finance.

If he accepted, he was allegedly going to receive R600,000 in cash and the rest of the R600m at a later date.

According to Jonas, the offer was made to him by Duduzane Zuma, the former president’s infamous son, Fana Hlongwana and the eldest of the Gupta brothers, Ajay.

Hlongwana’s legal team was present on orientation day of the inquiry. They confirmed that the businessman was considering appearing before the commission.

Nhlanhla Nene, who has since been reinstated as the Minister of Finance, under the flagship of Ramaphosa, also confirmed that his office would keep a close eye on the commission of inquiry on state capture.

He added that

“any recommendations aimed at addressing governance-related challenges, strengthening the financial position of State-Owned Companies (SOCs) and improving service delivery to the public through optimal procurement practices, will be considered favourably by government.”

He admitted on Tuesday, addressing the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), that the capabilities of SOCs had been hindered by state capture.