Friday, 31 August 2018 saw Phumelela Gaming & Leisure Ltd apply for an interdict to try to postpone or possibly even halt the Public Protector’s forthcoming hearings into horse racing.
The public hearings form part of the on-going investigation into the 1997 Memorandum of Understanding between the Highveld Horse racing Clubs and the then Gauteng Government, which led to the formation of Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Ltd.
The investigation stems from an initial complaint laid at the Public Protector’s office by Ms Phindi Kema in 2012, to which the then Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, found a prima facie case of malpractice. The hearings were announced by Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane in late April 2018 and were scheduled to commence on Tuesday, 4 September 2018.
The matter, which now spans six years and includes two additional complaints by Mr Chopelikhaya Simoto and Mr Hanif Manjoo, was due to use the Public Hearings as a fact finding exercise in order to move the investigation towards a conclusion. However, it seems these now hang in the balance.
