Testifying before the State Capture Commission of Inquiry on Friday, Zwane maintained he only proposed the creation on a new database following instructions by the Executive Council.

OFM News previously reported that his department was supposed to build houses in 2010 when his department was allocated R1.4 billion from the national housing conditional grant to build thousands of low-cost housing units.

His testimonies before the Commission has so far however revealed how a tender process was started, but abandoned before the process could be concluded.

The national government at the time allegedly told the province that it risked forfeiting the money if it was not spent by the end of the financial year, and the province then resolved to continue with the project without following a tender process.

Zwane confirmed that the Department then decided to create a database of contractors and suppliers to be used.

Whilst Zwane has admitted to flouting tender procedures in creating the database, he told the Commission on September 25 that he was acting on instructions given by the Executive Council of the province.

He said he was told to create a new database of contractors and suppliers after an open tender process was abandoned, and that this process was also approved by the then Head of the Department, Gift Mokoena, as well as the former Chief Financial Officer Seipati Dlamini.

He further said to the Commission that he was told by the accounting officer and the CFO that the department has been doing this without any hiccups for years.

Whilst Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo expressed shock at how an MEC, who was later appointed the Minister of Mineral Resources, could not have seen anything wrong with the creation of a new database instead of following a tender process, he also expressed his disbelief upon hearing how Zwane claimed to be unaware of the contents of the Housing Act, which fundamentally guides his department.

Appearing before the commission on December 11, Zwane maintained he did not hand pick suppliers and contractors that were included in the database and paid before building any houses.

The Commission has meanwhile adjourned it's hearings for the year until early January 2021.

OFM News