CAPE TOWN - Former mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane and his two co-accused were granted bail of R10,000 each in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.
The trio appeared in court following their arrest on Wednesday morning in connection with the R280 million Vrede dairy farm project.
They face charges of fraud, theft, corruption and money laundering linked to the 2012 deal between the Free State Agriculture Department and Gupta-associated company Estina.
The initiative was meant to benefit previously disadvantaged farmers and uplift the community.
Head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s Investigating Directorate, advocate Andrea Johnson, said the enrolment of the case demonstrated their commitment to deal with perpetrators of state capture.
She said the case should serve to remind the people of the Free State that the matter was forgotten and the process to investigate and formulate charges takes time.
Johnson added that the Vrede dairy project destroyed the lives of the community members it was supposed to empower and uplift, and the enrolment of the matter was a step closer to delivering justice to those who were alleged to have been prejudiced by the criminal conduct of the accused.
According to the NPA, investigations revealed the entire Vrede dairy project was designed to extract funds from the State.
A probe also revealed no proper tender procedures were followed with regard to the decision to fund the proposed initiative.
