Protector to fight Gupta-linked Vrede dairy farm high court ruling

Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said she was astonished and disagreed fundamentally with the Pretoria high court ruling, handed down on Monday, that her office’s report on the Guptas’ Vrede dairy farm project was unlawful‚ unconstitutional and invalid.

The court ruled that the report be set aside.

“She is concerned over‚ among other things‚ that in setting aside the entire report the ruling might be interpreted as though the court condones the maladministration attributed to the parties against whom adverse findings were made‚” Mkhwebane’s spokesperson‚ Oupa Segalwe‚ said on Monday night.

Mkhwebane wants to go straight to the Constitutional Court to challenge the ruling.

The Pretoria high court ruled that Mkhwebane failed in her duties under both the Public Protector Act and under the constitution in investigating and reporting on the dairy farm project.

The #GuptaLeaks e-mails revealed that at least R30m was paid to the Guptas via the farm.

The money funded the family’s lavish Sun City wedding in 2013.

The court added that Mkhwebane was irrational to ignore the #GuptaLeaks in her investigation.