NEWS & ANALYSIS

PP finds Gigaba violated ethics code over Fireblade saga

It is alleged that minister revoked the approval he originally granted under pressure from the Guptas

Public Protector finds Gigaba violated the ethics code over the Fireblade saga

31 October 2018

Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba has landed in hot water again, after the Public Protector found that he not only violated the executive ethics code, but also the Constitution for "deliberately telling untruths under oath".

In 2017, North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that Gigaba lied under oath but also violated the Constitution. The judgment followed a court battle which Fireblade Aviation, owned by the wealthy Oppenheimer family, had lodged in November 2016 against the Department of Home Affairs and others.

News24 previously reported that the application sought to have the court declare that approval for a terminal at OR Tambo International Airport – allegedly granted by Gigaba in early 2016 during his first stint as Minister of Home Affairs – could not be revoked.

It is alleged that Gigaba revoked the approval he originally granted, under pressure from the Guptas.

Gigaba's appeal against the judgment was dismissed in the Supreme Court of Appeal with costs earlier this year.

On Wednesday, Busisiwe Mkhwebane recommended that President Cyril Ramaphosa take disciplinary action against the minister of home affairs.

This is a developing story.

News24