Willie Seriti

English Translation

Weapons Scandal: No Big Findings Awaited

Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil ...

This is what David Maynier, DA, expects will be contained.in the Seriti report on South Africa's controversial arms deal.

The presidency announced on Wednesday that President Zuma received the report of Judge Willie Seriti of the commission.

"The report will be processed and further communication will at an appropriate time to take place," said the presidency's customary vague statement.

Maynier said it was imperative that Zuma quickly publish the entire report.

"From my experience, I expect that the report will not contain any major findings," said Maynier.

Maynier, in his previous capacity as the DA spokesperson on defence, testified before the commission and was frustrated with how the proceedings progressed, partly because parts of his testimony was not allowed.

Patricia de Lille, mayor of Cape Town and the first discloser of possible corruption in the controversial arms procurement programme, said by SMS: "I hope that justice will prevail and that the president dares to take the necessary action."

A "pessimistic" Dr Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus MP, said the evidence he observed for the Seriti commission, yielded no new information*1. He would be very surprised if the commission found any corruption. If so, those identified should be criminally prosecuted.

He believes the arms deal scandal is a blot on the name of the government. "The full responsibility for this must be borne by former president, Thabo Mbeki who was the chairman of the cabinet committee on arms purchases and former president, Nelson Mandela, the president of the country when the transactions entered into and completed"*2.

"Further scandal" is that most of the Gripen fighter aircraft currently in store will be mothballed because of the lack of finances for pilots to train properly. "This is a further proof that the commission is a waste of taxpayers' money".

The commission, whose work ended in June this year, was plunged into controversy because several witnesses refused to appear before the commission because they considered the commission not to be credible. Several officials of the commission resigned before the commission began its hearings.

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*1 Clearly Dr Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus MP, was not concentrating at all.

A number of witnesses gave excruciatingly detailed oral evidence, supported by a plethora of documentary evidence in respect of corruption.

Even the rather timid evidence leaders submitted oral argument in respect of certain areas of corruption.

*2 Nelson Mandela, was not the president of the country when the transactions were completed.

Neither was he the president when the contracts were signed.

But he was the president between mid-1995 and mid-1999 when the projects were put together*3.

*3 Or is further timidity inappropriate for 2016?

Shall we say: concocted?

Afrikaans Original

Wapenskandaal: ‘Geen groot bevindings verwag’

Hoor geen kwaad, sien geen kwaad en praat geen kwaad...

Dít is wat David Maynier, DA-LP, verwag in die Seriti-verslag oor Suid-Afrika se omstrede wapentransaksie vervat sal word.

Die presidensie het Woensdag aangekondig dat pres. Jacob Zuma die verslag van die kommissie van regter Willie Seriti ontvang het.

“Die verslag sal geprosesseer word en verdere kommunikasie sal op ’n gepaste tyd plaasvind,” lui die presidensie se gebruiklik vae verklaring.

Maynier het gesê dit is noodsaaklik dat Zuma die hele verslag vinnig bekend maak.

“Uit my ervaring verwag ek nie dat die verslag enige groot bevindings gaan bevat nie,” het Maynier gesê.

Maynier, in sy vorige hoedanigheid as die DA se woordvoerder oor verdediging, het self voor die kommissie getuig en was baie gefrustreerd met hoe die verrigtinge verloop het, onder meer omdat dele van sy getuienis nie toegelaat is nie.

Patricia de Lille, burgemeester van Kaapstad en die eerste onthuller van moontlike korrupsie in die omstrede wapen-aankoopprogram, het per SMS gesê: “Ek hoop dat geregtigheid sal geskied en dat die president die durf sal hê om die nodige optrede te neem.”

’n “Pessimistiese” dr. Pieter Groenewald, VF-Plus-LP, het gesê die getuienis wat hy voor die Seriti-kommissie waargeneem het, het geen nuwe inligting opgelewer nie. Hy sal baie verbaas wees indien die kommissie enige korrupsie bevind het. Indien wel moet diegene geïdentifiseer en strafregtelik vervolg word.

Hy glo die wapenaankoopskandaal is ’n klad op die naam van die regering. “Die volle verantwoordelikheid hiervoor moet gedra word deur oudpres. Thabo Mbeki wat die voorsitter van die kabinetskomitee oor die wapenaankope was en oudpres. Nelson Mandela wat die president van die land was toe die transaksies aangegaan en voltooi is.”

Die “verdere skandaal” is dat die meeste van die Gripen-vegvliegtuie tans in ’n stoor gebêre word weens die gebrek aan finansies om vlieëniers behoorlik op te lei. “Dit is ’n verdere bewys daarvan dat die kommissie ’n vermorsing van belastingbetalers se geld was.”

Die kommissie, wie se werk in Junie vanjaar ten einde geloop het, was in omstredenheid gedompel omdat verskeie getuies geweier om voor die kommissie te verskyn omdat hulle die kommissie nie as geloofwaardig beskou het nie. Verskeie amptenare van die kommissie het ook bedank voordat die kommissie met sy sittings begin het.