LISTEN: ‘Oakbay approached NW schools without permission’
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs heard on Wednesday how Gupta-owned Oakbay Investments approached seventy-seven schools in North West in 2013 without permission from provincial education authorities.
The company ran a competition at the schools, where learners were expected to design invites for the family’s infamous wedding at Sun City.
The wedding shot to national prominence after the family used the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria as a point of entry for the guests.
Prizes that were up for grabs included cash to the value of R10 000 to R15 000, as well as sports kits and soccer balls.
North West MEC for Sport and Education, Sello Lehari, appeared before the committee on Wednesday.
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The committee is probing the early naturalisation of the Gupta family by the Department of Home Affairs.
“This company secretly gained access to our province and quietly identified schools in and around Rustenburg and Moses Kotane without the involvement of the department at any of its administrative levels except for the principals,” said Lehari.
The company allegedly told school principals that learners were participating in a drawing competition.
“It's interesting to note that this competition and resultant donations coincided with preparations for the Gupta wedding which was held in Sun City on the 4th of May 2013. Another striking aspect is the choice of the location of schools that benefitted, most of them are situated in areas around Sun City,” Lehari told MPS
Lehari says an investigation into the matter has revealed only 68 of the schools listed are on the department's database.