A special government task team has been established to spearhead renegotiations on the contentious R12,2-billion Dolphin deal, African Eye News Service reported on Wednesday.
Mpumalanga environmental affairs MEC January Masilela said on Wednesday the task team had been instructed to hammer out a settlement cancelling the deal between the Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB) and the Dubai-based Dolphin Group. The settlement is expected to be concluded before Christmas.
The 1996 Dolphin deal gave Dolphin exclusive commercial development rights to all of Mpumalanga's best game reserves for 25 years. In return for development rights, Dolphin promised to underwrite the MPB to the tune of R12,2-billion over the 25-year contract term.
However, public outrage at the secrecy surrounding the deal has stalled implementation, and prompted the MPB to challenge the contract by applying for a declaratory order from the Pretoria High Court. The MPB hopes to relaunch the process by calling for individual public tenders for smaller development concessions at each of the reserves.
"Dolphin appears willing to finally settle this whole saga and we may be on the verge of an important breakthrough," said Masilela.
Meanwhile, investigators probing corruption within the MPB met Masilela for the first time on Wednesday to brief him on their 14-month probe into suspended MPB chief executive Alan Gray. The meeting follows a warning that they would be fired unless the probe was wrapped up soon. - Sapa