Mosebenzi Zwane, Gupta-Linked Ex-minister, Appears in Court for Corruption in Vrede Dairy Farm Scandal

• Gupta brothers' ally Mosebenzi Zwane has turned himself into law enforcement in connection to his role in the Vrede farm scandal
• The Former Free State MEC appeared in the Bloemfontein magistrates court on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering
• The Vrede dairy farm case is one of nine high-profile cases the state capture commission recommended for prosecution

BLOEMFONTEIN - Former Minister Mosebenzi Zwane has handed himself over to the authorities who took him into custody for his role in the alleged Vrede Dairy Farm scandal.

Zwane is the second politician to face charges in state capture-related cases, following former ANC MP Vincent Smith's footsteps.

The ex-minister and Gupta brother ally appeared in the Bloemfontein magistrates court on Wednesday, 28 September. The court charged Zwane with fraud, theft and money laundering, News24 reports.

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The Vrede dairy farm project was established to empower emerging black farmers in the Free State. Still, people associated with the Guptas allegedly used the project to loot million in public funds. Zwane was the Free State agriculture MEC when the scandal occurred.

The former agriculture MEC promised aspiring dairy farmers that they would benefit from the project during a town hall in 2012. Instead, the R220m, which was meant to be awarded to approximately 100 beneficiaries, ended up in companies linked to the Gupta family.

According to TimesLIVE, The Vrede farm case is one of nine monumental cases from the state capture inquiry that the National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi claimed would be brought before the courts soon.

Batohi announced during her presentation of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) annual performance plan that she would place high-profile cases on the court roll within six months.

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South Africans react to Zwanes appearance in court

While some South Africans are happy there is forward movement in the state capture recommendations, others speculate that the courts will postpone the trial for many years.

Below are some reactions:

@nikelo_m claimed:

"This is nice. Very nice!"

@ZoobanSingh commented:

"His body language in the photo screams contempt!"

@TwanaXolani exclaimed:

"Mosebenzi Zwane must rot in jail for what he did to my uncle's farm."

@SelloMonyamane pointed out:

"Shame, poor man. He is alone in the dock, ZUPTA cheerleaders are not there to support him."

@Constitution_94 added:

"We need to see Duduzane Zuma, Jacob Zuma, and Ace Magashule joining this crook as well."

@FMehluli suggested:

"Bail must be set at ONE MILLION."

@JustMe01208953 speculated:

"And?? It will be postponed till Jesus comes… watch JZ 2.0 in action."

Gupta brothers whistleblower Vytjie Mentor Died at Age 58 after suffering a long illness

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Previously, Briefly News reported that Action SA's Western Cape provincial chairperson Vytjie Mentor passed away at age 58. The political organisation announced on Tuesday morning, 23 August.

Mentor was a former African National Congress Member of Parliament and served as MP from 2002 until 2014. She is popularly known for exposing the Gupta brothers and their manipulation of government institutions.

According to the statement issued by Action SA, Mentor had been suffering from an illness for an extended period and spent several months in hospital.

Source: Briefly News