FORMER South African president Jacob Zuma was never linked to the landing of the Gupta plane at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Tshwane.

This was what former director-general of the justice department Nonkululeko Sindane told the Zondo Commission yesterday.

She said the two people alleged to have been instructed by Zuma to allow the landing, former transport minister Ben Martins and former chief of state protocol Bruce Koloane, denied these claims.

Sindane was part of the security cluster panel that said Zuma wasn’t guilty. She said they didn’t interview Zuma because nothing linked him to the scandal.

“Our view was that there was no basis to go to the president based on two people talking among themselves,” said Sindane.

The investigation found Koloane and Anderson responsible for the landing. Sindane said they also found the high commissioner of India played a role in the scandal but it wasn’t included in their 2013 report as it would have had a diplomatic impact.

“As a senior civil servant at a time and a South African, I was embarrassed and disappointed. My biggest concern was why are we even in this wedding. Why was it such an important event in our calendar,” she said.

Major Thabo Ntshisi told the inquiry he refused the Guptas’ request to land at the base because there had been no correspondence. He said Koloane and Anderson told him to go ahead and approve the landing.

-Daily sun