Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane has allegedly made another astonishing intervention to protect the Gupta family’s business interests in the mining sector.
Zwane today dispatched a team of department of mineral resources inspectors to Royal Bafokeng’s operations in the North West to shut down their operations.
This allegedly follows the company serving a termination notice to its Gupta-linked contractor.
According to three reliable sources, including a top official within the department, the Guptas “sent” Zwane to put pressure on the company after it terminated their contract.
Royal Bafokeng's executive for corporate affairs, Mpueleng Pooe, confirmed that the company terminated the contract with the company earlier this month.
Yesterday when City Press spoke to him, he denied knowing anything about an imminent raid by the department inspectors.
Another source has confirmed that the team of inspectors arrived at Royal Bafokeng’s Bafokeng Rasimone South Shaft in Rustenburg this morning.
“I can confirm that we did terminate the company’s contract as it is within our right and we gave them notice earlier this month. We terminated it for reasons of convenience because we are entitled to terminate it according to our contract,” Pooe said.
The notice period was three months.
Zwane has previously been accused of personally intervening to pressure multinational Glencore to sell its Optimum coal mine to the Guptas.
The Gupta-linked contractor shares the same registered business address as the Guptas’ flagship Sahara Computers, and both of its directors are also directors of other Gupta entities.
The department could not confirm the issue and had committed to reverting with a confirmation of details at a later stage.