Central SA
Jankielsohn details concerns over #Estina─── KATLEHO MORAPELA 11:49 Mon, 22 Jul 2019
The DA’s leader in the Free State Legislature, Roy Jankielsohn, is today expected to detail how taxpayers money was pumped into the controversial Gupta-linked Estina Dairy Farm and how millions were looted from the province through this project.
This, as he testifies before the State Capture Commission led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Jankielsohn has thus far detailed how the project sparked concerns as early as 2013 when an article titled “The Gupta’s land of milk and money” was published by the Mail and Guardian shortly after the then Premier Ace Magashule mentioned the flagship project in his State of the Province Address. Explaining his concerns for the more than 80 beneficiaries that were meant to benefit from the R220 million earmarked for this project, Jankielsohn revealed that he interacted with the Free State Provincial Government on several occasions through the Legislature’s Standing Committee on Agriculture, which he was part of, and then elevated the matter to the Office of the Public Protector when he did not get answers from the Provincial Agriculture Department.
He has thus far indicated that his concerns over the project grew further when he realised that Estina would get a 49% share of the project whilst they only invested 40%.
It is alleged that the Provincial Agriculture Department spent over R220 million on the project, yet financial statements showed that only R2 million can be accounted for.
According to the leaked #GuptaEmails, large portions of the money earmarked for the project was used to fund the family’s Sun City wedding in 2013.
The NPA has in the past laid criminal charges against the family and it's associated on grounds that the Agriculture Department paid over R200 million into their Estina Nedbank account, which was thereafter moved to the Bank of Baroda pool account.
The case was nonetheless provisionally withdrawn in December 2018.
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