Forestry, fisheries & environment minister Willie Aucamp has confirmed that he has submitted a formal complaint to the public protector requesting an investigation into the possible abuse of state resources by former minister Dion George and former members of his team in the period just before his removal from office.
However, neither Aucamp nor George were willing to say anything more about the complaint, which what was reported on Sunday by Rapport, City Press and News24. The fallout between the two could have ripple effects in the DA as George is federal finance chair for the party.
George was removed from office in November at the request of party leader John Steenhuisen amid allegations of his mismanagement of the department, which he has denied, and in relation to which he has filed a defamation suit against News24.
The DA federal executive decided to open an investigation into the conflict between Steenhuisen and George.
Aucamp’s complaint to the public protector also involves George’s then advisor and acting chief of staff, Shelton Mollentze, and his then personal assistant, Traverse le Goff.
According to the Rapport article, Mollentze asked staff about three weeks before Aucamp’s appointment as minister to probe his alleged illegal lion-farming activities. No evidence was found against Aucamp and he claims in his complaint to the public protector that the whistle-blower report on which the investigation was based — allegedly fabricated by George — mysteriously disappeared.
The article said that Aucamp believed George wanted to scupper his appointment as minister with the fake investigation before it was ratified by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Concerns about possible conflicts of interest were raised by environmental NGOs and animal welfare organisations at the time of Aucamp’s appointment because of his perceived links to the captive wildlife and hunting industries.
Le Goff told Rapport that Mollentze asked him to compile information about Aucamp’s business interests.
Aucamp said he was informed by deputy minister Bernice Swarts (ANC) of Mollentze’s request. George denied that he approved or authorised the investigation into Aucamp or that the latter was the subject of the investigation. He and Mollentze also denied abusing state resources for personal purposes.
In a statement, the department said the complaint to the public protector followed Aucamp’s assumption of office, after which he was made aware of a “baseless” investigation into his private business affairs. He denied having been involved in lion farming or breeding and said in his complaint that no evidence of this was found in the investigation.
“The investigation appears to have been potentially politically motivated and aimed at falsely linking him to the lion-breeding industry — an industry with which minister Aucamp has no association," the statement said.
“I will not shy away from my duty as minister and will act against anyone in my department who has been alleged, on a prima facie basis, to have misused state resources, irrespective of what position such individuals hold or have held in the past. The use of state resources for personal or political purposes is unlawful, and an investigation by the public protector will determine whether any such abuse occurred,” Aucamp said.
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