Mosebenzi Zwane: I flew with the Guptas due to a throat condition, but I never asked anyone for favours

Mosebenzi Zwane has long struggled with a throat condition. It’s affected his work as a politician, with audiences often complaining about their ability to hear the former minister.

His throat particularly suffers in the cold and Zwane told the State Capture Commission that it was this condition that led him to take trips on the Gupta family's private jet.

“There's no trip pertaining to me that was paid by the Guptas or that I went to the Guptas and asked them to pay for me when I was a leader in any department. I've actually never asked anybody for a favour,” Zwane told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo during his fourth appearance at the commission on Tuesday afternoon, 27 April.

Hours earlier, Zwane explained that he'd asked the Guptas for a ride on their private jet from Switzerland to India in December 2015. 

Zwane, who was mineral resources minister at the time, was in Switzerland to meet Glencore boss Ivan Glasenberg. Glencore had put its Optimum Coal into business rescue after Eskom CEO Brian Molefe refused to negotiate a higher coal price. Around 3,000 jobs were on the line. 

Zwane flew to meet Glasenberg in Switzerland to discuss how to keep the mine operational and save jobs.

He has been accused of strong-arming Glencore to sell Optimum to the Guptas, acting in concert with Molefe, Eskom CFO Anoj Singh and others who allegedly made it impossible for Optimum to escape its loss-making position and force Glencore to sell. 

The Guptas had already put in a bid for the mine and in his first meeting with the Glencore billionaire, Zwane was joined by Salim Essa, widely associated as a Gupta fixer, on behalf of the Guptas’ Tegeta Exploration and Resources.

In an affidavit to the commission, Glasenberg said Zwane introduced Essa as his adviser, which Zwane denied, saying he had introduced Essa as Tegeta’s representative.

Zwane said little was discussed in the first meeting as Glasenburg said Essa presented facts and figures on the loss-making operation and Tegeta's bid.

Glasenburg did not have detailed knowledge of the situation and a meeting was set for the following day with Tony Gupta, Essa, Glasenberg and his South African representative Clinton Ephron, where they eventually reached a deal to sell Optimum to Tegeta, which Eskom eventually sponsored with a significant prepayment to Tegeta.

Zwane said he didn't take part in the second meeting, except to introduce the parties, after which he went to another room. Glasenberg has told the commission Zwane did not try to pressure him into selling the mine to the Guptas, but said the minister said he was sure the parties would reach a deal.

Zondo questioned why Zwane travelled to Switzerland, considering he played no apparent role in the discussions. Zondo referenced testimony on former president Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane’s regular attendance at meetings with the Guptas and high-profile individuals.

Multiple witnesses have testified that Duduzane Zuma was silent during those meetings. Zondo asked Zwane whether he might have been in Switzerland to “bring some subtle pressure”, which Zwane denied, maintaining he was there to save jobs.

“My version, chair, is that I was not married to any particular buyer. I was not even married to the mine being sold. In fact, if a mine is on [sic] liquidation, if I had any intention of letting this mine take another direction, why would I have gone and engaged Mr Glasenberg in finding a solution because there was already a buyer in the name of Tegeta,” said Zwane.

He maintained that he would never bow to outside pressure and always had South Africa’s people at heart during the saga.

“I want to reject the notion that I was brought as a stooge to try and do other things, especially this issue of Glencore,” Zwane told Zondo.

I thought, if I go through the commercial line I'll have to explain myself here, I was not well, let me put it so. I thought, because these ones are going there I'll get into this private jet of theirs, arrive in India and rest.