I was not used to capture state-owned entities: Peters

Former Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has denied she was used and that she favoured entities, or played any role to capture state-owned entities under her previous portfolio.   

Peters was giving evidence at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in Johannesburg on Monday.  Her testimony centers around alleged corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa).

The Commission has heard that former President Jacob Zuma and then Transport Minister Peters were aware of corruption allegations against Prasa’s former CEO Lucky Montana.

Peters has told the commission that allegations against Montana were in the public domain. She says she even took Zuma through some of the allegations of wrongdoing and litigation against Montana.

Peters has told the commission her department then appointed a company called RSR to investigate. She added that the allegations were further debated by the transport portfolio committee in Parliament.

In the video below, today’s proceedings of the State Capture Inquiry:  

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Peters was appointed Transport Minister in 2016 by then-President Jacob Zuma.  

She has urged the Commission to look at the magnitude and role Prasa plays in the country’s transportation industry and not isolate only challenges the SOE is facing

 I have never been influenced by anybody to either determine tenders; Chairman I want to vouch the 12 entities I spoke to can also vouch for that. It is not my culture, style of work. And as a deployee of the African National Congress, I had the opportunity to be deployed in various areas of responsibility, Chairperson. And in any of those areas, I have never been a person who determines. It is the ANC government that consciously resolved that politicians should not participate in tender processes.”  

Source: SABC News (sabcnews.com)