Estina dairy farm matter 'far from over': Mkhwebane
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane says the Estina dairy farm case is far from over and she will be approaching the Supreme Court of Appeal.
This comes after the high court in Pretoria on Friday dismissed Mkhwebane's application for leave to appeal in the case relating to her report on the Gupta-linked project.
Judge Ronel Tolmay said in her ruling that none of the requirements of the act were met and therefore leave to appeal should not be granted.
"In any event, during the argument, my attention was drawn to the fact that the public protector is on instructions of Parliament to investigate the Estina matter again - which renders an appeal on the merits moot. As a result, it is not in the public's interest that further resources should be spent on an issue that has become academic.”
Mkhwebane's spokesperson Oupa Segalwe says the public protector will approach the SCA with the hope that it will arrive at a different conclusion.
Tolmay previously set aside the report by Busisiwe Mkhwebane and declared her investigation into the controversial multi-million rand transaction unlawful and unconstitutional.
In August, the high court ordered Mkhwebane to personally pay 7.5% of the costs by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC).
In her report, Mkhwebane found that the Free State Department of Agriculture was guilty of maladministration due to its handling of the project and ordered that then premier, Ace Magashule, institute disciplinary action against officials who were involved in the project in Vrede.