/ 16 May 2013

Gupta debate in Parliament moved forward

Gupta Debate In Parliament Moved Forward

It will take place on May 22 instead of during the week of June 4 to 7, the office of the ANC chief whip said in a statement on Thursday.

"Our proposal for the debate to take place on 22 May was accepted by all parties at today's [Thursday] National Assembly programming committee meeting."

The ANC said it made the proposal in view of the fact that the government's probe into the matter had been concluded.

Earlier in the day, acting Minister in the Presidency Edna Molewa said there would be no attempt to keep secret a report from the investigation by a group of directors general.

Molewa and Cabinet colleagues endorsed preliminary findings of the probe into how the Gupta family managed to land the plane at the national key point without executive authority.

She said it was now up to the justice, crime prevention, and security (JCPS) cluster of ministries to release the findings to the public.

JCPS chairperson Justice Minister Jeff Radebe was in the country, but his colleagues in the cluster were in Russia on a working visit with President Jacob Zuma.

Radebe and the other ministers would decide in which form the outcomes of the probe would be made public. Molewa said: "What we are really saying to you as South Africans, is that this matter … was never intended to be kept under wraps … You will be informed about it."

The aircraft was carrying 270 guests to the wedding of Vega Gupta (23) and Indian-born Aakash Jahajgarhia at Sun City.

Government faced a storm of criticism over the incident, given the perception that the Gupta brothers are close to President Jacob Zuma. – Sapa