Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said government would appeal against a judgment which granted an Oppenheimer-owned company the right to operate a private international terminal at OR Tambo International Airport.
The High Court in Pretoria declared on Friday that Gigaba had on January 28 last year granted Fireblade’s application.
Gigaba was Minister of Home Affairs at the time and has since been moved to the finance portfolio.
A few days after January 28‚ Gigaba reversed his decision.
Fireblade went to court after accusing Gigaba of reversing his approval.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industries-organised CEOs’ breakfast briefing on Tuesday‚ Gigaba said the government would appeal the Friday high court ruling.
Gigaba said he believed “another layer” of the court would reach a different verdict and that government would definitely appeal the judgment.
“You cannot have a country where unknown people enter and leave as they please but using the same state facilities like OR Tambo International Airport.
“You need state institutions and departments like SARS customs‚ home affairs and the police to take charge of that‚” Gigaba said.
However‚ the judgment by Judge Sulet Potterill made it clear that the customs and immigration components of Fireblade’s terminal would be conducted by officials of the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee.
The committee is an affiliated structure of the Justice‚ Crime Prevention and Security Cluster and was mandated in 2005 to strategically manage the South African border environment.
Government to appeal Oppenheimers’ victory on private terminal: Gigaba
Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said government would appeal against a judgment which granted an Oppenheimer-owned company the right to operate a private international terminal at OR Tambo International Airport.
The High Court in Pretoria declared on Friday that Gigaba had on January 28 last year granted Fireblade’s application.
Gigaba was Minister of Home Affairs at the time and has since been moved to the finance portfolio.
A few days after January 28‚ Gigaba reversed his decision.
Fireblade went to court after accusing Gigaba of reversing his approval.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industries-organised CEOs’ breakfast briefing on Tuesday‚ Gigaba said the government would appeal the Friday high court ruling.
Gigaba said he believed “another layer” of the court would reach a different verdict and that government would definitely appeal the judgment.
“You cannot have a country where unknown people enter and leave as they please but using the same state facilities like OR Tambo International Airport.
“You need state institutions and departments like SARS customs‚ home affairs and the police to take charge of that‚” Gigaba said.
However‚ the judgment by Judge Sulet Potterill made it clear that the customs and immigration components of Fireblade’s terminal would be conducted by officials of the Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee.
The committee is an affiliated structure of the Justice‚ Crime Prevention and Security Cluster and was mandated in 2005 to strategically manage the South African border environment.