DAYS OF ZONDO: Newsflash: Guptas permitted to land at Waterkloof in 2013 due to ‘misunderstanding’, Zondo hears By Rebecca Davis becsplanb
Former Chief of State Protocol Bruce Koloane says that the idea that he personally gave permission for the Gupta family to use the Waterkloof airbase in 2013 was the result of a “misunderstanding”.
Yet en email was sent from Koloane’s personal assistant to the Department of Defence indicating that Koloane had indeed “telephonically approved the request”.In Koloane’s version of events, the first he heard of the Guptas’ wedding plans was when he received a phone call from the Indian High Commissioner to South Africa, the unfortunately-named Virendra Gupta .
At several points, Koloane referred to himself as the “conduit”: the go-between to ensure smooth visits for foreign dignitaries visiting South Africa. In the case of the Guptas’ 2013 landing, none of these processes was officially followed – though the question of former president Jacob Zuma’s involvement is certain to be raised by the commission, after previous witnesses testified that Koloane said that “Number One knows about the flight”.
Koloane said that both he and the ACSA CEO advised that the use of OR Tambo in this regard would not be “viable”, because it was also in use by “our own political leadership”. He advised the Guptas to consider approaching private airfields. Matjila also gave the commission some insight into the other diplomatic headaches created by the Guptas’ wedding delegation.
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