Another Public Works disciplinary hearing into a departmental official’s involvement in the awarding of a contract for upgrades on President Jacob Zuma's multi-million-rand Nkandla home, has been postponed.
Rakesh Dhaniram’s hearing was set down for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week but it has been postponed indefinitely to allow Dhaniram and his counsel time to pursue documents they had requested from the department.
This morning, advocate Deshin Pillay, acting for the department said Dhaniram’s lawyers were issued with a response to their request for various files last week.
“In that response, the employers pointed out that much of the documents requested are not relevant to the charge for which the employee was charged,” he said, “In fact the charges related to a breach of procurement policies, supply management codes and certain Treasury regulations”.
Pillay said after receiving the department’s response, he understood Dhaniram needed more time.
“In some of the responses the employers pointed out that those documents will be made available for inspection. For example, at the Special Investigations Unit,” he explained.
He said one of the requests was for audio recordings of an interview conducted by the SIU with Dhaniram.
His clients did not object to a postponement, Pillay said.
Dhaniram’s lawyer, Aslam Moolla, confirmed that the request was by consent.
But he emphasised that his client was pleading not guilty to the charges and said he just wanted time to assess the documents that had been provided.
A new date for the hearing was not set.
Another official, Sibusiso Chonco's, hearing was supposed to begin last Monday but could not because he was not present.
He was ordered to come to proceedings on Tuesday and did so, but his lawyer, Adrian Moodley, asked for a postponement because, he said, his client was unwell and not fit to sit through the proceedings.
Chonco's hearing was adjourned to July.