Skeletons tumble in the Mhlauli case
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
In his evidence in chief, Oremeng narrated how Mhlauli hatched a plan to award a plot in the area popularly known as 'Riverwalk', conjuring up a tissue of clandestine means including cooking up documents and fabricating events.
Oremeng told the court that he was the first person to apply for the piece of land as he applied in October 21, 1997.
He said first he approached the department of lands to inquire about the suitability of the area to accommodate a shopping mall. He said after some positive preliminary discussions with the department officials, he was given the go-ahead to submit his application.
Oremeng told the court that in January 1998, he got a call from Mhlauli, who was then the permanent secretary in the ministry of local government, lands and housing, inviting him to his office for a meeting.
It is a clear signal that the government’s purse is empty and that our own behaviour has left veterinary officials fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. We have been here before. During COVID-19, many of us thought we knew better. We ignored simple rules, we carried on as if the danger was someone else’s problem, and the virus took lives and left our economy on its knees. We are still broke from that experience. Yet now, with FMD...