Durban - Amid an outcry that the NPA had failed to prosecute Khulubuse Zuma and Zondwa Mandela almost 10 years after the controversial Aurora mine pollution case, the prosecutorial body says the politically connected businessmen are not off the hook just yet.
On Monday, the Springs Magistrate's Court struck the high profile case off the roll, thus letting Zuma, Mandela, Thulani Ngubane and Raja Zainal Alam Shah, all directors of Aurora Empowerment Systems, to walk free.
The NPA had reportedly said it was not yet ready to proceed with the trial. The NPA received flak for dropping the ball in the case.
NPA Gauteng spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane told Independent Media that the case was struck off the roll because they had recently got new evidence. She said they needed time to look at the evidence with the view of using it to bolster their case in future.
“In preparation for the pre-trial hearing, consultation with one of our witnesses brought new information to the fore that prompted further investigations. This then had an impact on our state of readiness for trial, as a result, the matter was struck off the roll. However nothing prohibits us from reinstating the charges once we are ready to proceed with prosecution,” Mjonondwane said.
Zondwa Mandela is the grandson of Nelson Mandela. File picture: Cara Viereckl
A disused mine shaft at the Aurora gold mine. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko, Reuters
Zuma and his co-accused allegedly contaminated the Vaal River by allowing acid water from the Aurora mine in the East to spill into Blesbokspruit river (a feeder of the gigantic Vaal river).
That negligence threatened one of the biggest sources of water for Gauteng, the country’s densely populated province.