Elzabe Rockman | |
---|---|
Free State MEC for Finance | |
In office 12 March 2013 –7 May 2019 | |
Premier | Sisi Ntombela Ace Magashule |
Preceded by | Seiso Mohai |
Succeeded by | Gadija Brown |
Personal details | |
Born | Kimberley,Cape Province,South Africa | 20 April 1967
Political party | African National Congress |
Children | 1 |
Residence(s) | Bloemfontein,Free State,South Africa |
Alma mater | University of the Free State |
Profession | Politician |
Known for | Serving as the MEC for Finance during the premiership of Ace Magashule. |
Elizabeth Cornelia "Elzabe" Rockman (born 20 April 1967) is a South African African National Congress politician who served as the Member of the Executive Council for Finance during the premierships of Ace Magashule and Sisi Ntombela. She was first appointed to the post in March 2013 and left office in May 2019. She was also a Member of the Free State Provincial Legislature during that time. From 2010 to 2013,she was the Director-General of the Free State Provincial Government. In October 2019,she testified at the Zondo Commission.
Rockman was born on 20 April 1967 in Kimberley in the former Cape Province. She studied at the University of the Free State and obtained a BEd degree in Languages and a BA Honours in English. [1]
Rockman became the secretary of the Free State Provincial Legislature in 1994 and served in the post until 2009. She joined the provincial government after the 2009 general election. She was soon appointed Director-General of the Free State Provincial Government in September 2010. On 12 March 2013,premier Ace Magashule appointed her as the Member of the Executive Council for Finance,succeeding Seiso Mohai,who was redeployed to Parliament. [2] After the 2014 general election,she remained in the post. [3] In 2017,she became a certified fraud examiner. [4] Magashule resigned as premier in 2018 and newly elected premier Sisi Ntombela retained Rockman in her position. [5]
Rockman left the provincial government after the 2019 general election. Gadija Brown succeeded her as Finance MEC. [6]
In October 2019, Rockman testified at The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, known as the Zondo Commission, about the provincial treasury's role in the corruption-tainted Vrede Dairy Project, a project meant to empower black farmers. The project was managed by the Gupta-owned Estina company, which led to more than R220 million in public funds, which were meant for the dairy, being siphoned towards the Gupta family and only 1% spent on actual farming, as reported by the City Press . [7]
Rockman said that she had visited the Gupta family on multiple occasions. She also said that she was aware of the first R30 million in public funds being transferred towards the project. [8] Newspaper reports later suggested that the R30 million was used to pay for the 2013 wedding of Vega Gupta at the Sun City resort in the North West Province. [9] In the end, from 2013 to 2016, the provincial government paid R334 million towards the Guptas with little being spent on farming. [10] [11]
Rockman mentioned in her testimony that she had met with Guptas in February 2014 about reports of cows dying. [12] [8] She also mentioned that her department was reportedly "stuck" with what the provincial Agriculture Department presented. [8] She, later on, in her testimony said that the project should have been put through a tender process and that she was concerned that there was "no public process". It was unknown to the provincial treasury department on why Estina had been chosen for the project and Rockman claimed that it would have been "unlikely" for Estina to get the tender if it had gone through a public process. [13]
Also in her testimony, Rockman mentioned that the provincial government had gone into an agreement with the now-defunct Gupta-owned The New Age to buy around 4,000 copies of the paper daily. [14] She said: "The subscription was to give support to The New Age as a new entrant to the market." [8]
Rockman's daughter, Caitlyn, is a model. [15]
Corruption in South Africa includes the improper use of public resources for private ends, including bribery and improper favouritism. Corruption was at its highest during the period of state capture under presidency of Jacob Zuma and has remained widespread, negatively "affecting criminal justice, service provision, economic opportunity, social cohesion and political integrity" of South Africa.
Elias Sekgobelo "Ace" Magashule is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who was Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC) until his suspension on 3 May 2021. He served as the Premier of the Free State, one of South Africa's nine provinces, from 2009 until 2018, and is known to be influential in the ANC of his home province.
Mosebenzi Joseph Zwane was the Minister of Mineral Resources of South Africa in the Second Cabinet of former President Jacob Zuma serving from 2015 until 2018. A controversial figure, Zwane resigned on 25 February 2018 following allegations of state capture and in particular his role in the Vrede Dairy Project, which helped bankroll the Gupta Family wedding.
The Vrede Dairy Project is a South African dairy project established in 2012 on Krynaauwslust Farm, near the town of Vrede, Free State Province. The dairy was established as a public-private partnership with Estina, a Black Economic Empowerment company, as part of the Free State provincial government's agricultural project, Mohoma-Mobung. Estina was given the land under a free 99 year lease.
Sefora Hixsonia "Sisi" Ntombela is a South African politician who was the 6th Premier of the Free State and a Member of the Free State Provincial Legislature for the African National Congress. She previously served as the Free State MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements and as MEC for Social Development. Ntombela was also the Deputy President of the African National Congress Women's League and the treasurer of the Free State ANC.
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, better known as the Zondo Commission or State Capture Commission, is a public inquiry established in January 2018 by former President Jacob Zuma to investigate allegations of state capture, corruption, and fraud in the public sector in South Africa.
Sarah Matawana "Olly" Mlamleli is a South African politician who served as the Mayor of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality from August 2016 until August 2020. A member of the African National Congress, she served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements from February 2012 to August 2016. In 2020, Mlamleli was ousted as Mayor of Mangaung and arrested over a controversial asbestos contract stemming from her time with the MEC.
Skully Thembeni Nxangisa is a South African politician who served in the Free State Executive Council as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from May 2019 until October 2021, when he became the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development. He was removed from the executive council in March 2023
Pule Herbert Isak Makgoe was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Free State Provincial Legislature in 1994. After holding multiple positions in the Executive Council of the Free State, he was appointed Member of the Executive Council for Education in May 2009, a position he would hold until his death in March 2023.
Kwekwe William Bulwane is a South African politician who has been a member of the Free State Provincial Legislature since May 2019. He had previously served as an MPL in April 2018. Bulwane had previously served in the Free State Executive Council as the Member of the Executive Council for Agriculture and Rural Development from May 2019 to October 2021 and as the MEC for Police, Roads and Transport from October 2021 until his demotion from the Executive Council in March 2023.
Gadija Brown is a South African politician and banker who is a member of the Free State Provincial Legislature for the African National Congress (ANC) and the provincial Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance.
Limakatso Patricia Mahasa is a South African politician who currently serves as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation in the Free State. A member of the African National Congress, she previously served as the MEC for Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs and as the MEC for Social Development.
The 2019 Free State provincial election was held on 8 May 2019, concurrently with the 2019 South African general election, to elect the 30 members of the Free State Provincial Legislature.
Malambule Samuel Mashinini is a South African politician and trade union leader who has been a member of the Free State Provincial Legislature since 2014. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to the Free State Provincial Legislature in May 2014. He was then appointed as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. A year later, he became the MEC for Economic and Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Mashinini was appointed MEC for Police, Roads & Transport in October 2016. He was dismissed in October 2021.
Madala Louis David Ntombela is a South African politician. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected as an ANC Member of the National Assembly of South Africa in 2014 and re-elected in 2019. Ntombela currently serves as House Chairperson for International Relations.
The Executive Council of the Free State is the cabinet of the executive branch of the provincial government in the South African province of the Free State. The Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are appointed from among the members of the Free State Provincial Legislature by the Premier of the Free State, an office held since March 2018 by Sisi Ntombela of the African National Congress (ANC).
Montseng Margaret Tsiu is a South African politician, trade unionist and nurse who served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health in the Free State provincial government from May 2018 until March 2023. She was sworn in as a Member of the Free State Provincial Legislature for the African National Congress in April 2018. Tsiu is the former provincial chairperson of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union and the former director of nursing in the Free State government.
Mxolisi Dukwana is a South African politician who has been the 7th Premier of the Free State since his election in February 2023. Prior to his election, he served in the Free State Executive Council as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Having been appointed the convener or interim leader of the Free State branch of his political party, the African National Congress (ANC) in May 2021, he was elected as the Provincial Chairperson of the party in January 2023.
Motshidisi Agnes Koloi, also spelled Motshidise, is a South African politician and educator who is currently serving as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Development in the Free State provincial government. Before that, she was MEC for Public Works and Human Settlements. She has served in the Free State Provincial Legislature as an ANC representative since May 2019. Prior to her election to the Provincial Legislature, Koloi had served as the executive mayor of the Moqhaka Local Municipality.
Motlagomang Grazy Qabathe, commonly known as Mamiki Qabathe, is a South African politician who served in the Executive Council of the Free State as Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Development from May 2019 until October 2023. Before that, she was Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature from 2015 to 2019. She is a member of the African National Congress (ANC).
KPMG were the auditors of the Guptas' Linkway Trading (Pty) Ltd. This company, we shall see, played a crucial role in allowing the diversion of cash earmarked for the Free State's Vrede dairy project to reimburse most of the wedding expenses – R30-million to be exact.
Bank statements show that the Free State government paid R334 202 652 over less than two years, from July 2014 to April 2016, to Indian company Estina.