Former president Jacob Zuma's decision to replace Ngoako Ramatlhodi with Mosebenzi Zwane as mineral resources minister was, on the probabilities, influenced by the Guptas.

That is the view expressed in the latest chapter of the state capture report published on Friday.

“Zwane had co-operated with the Guptas while serving as MEC in the Free State provincial government where his departments [namely the department of agriculture and, later, the department of human settlements] had performed very poorly and he was brought specially into the National Assembly so that President Zuma could appoint him as minister of mineral resources,” reads the report.

“There can be no explanation why President Zuma overlooked so many able and competent ANC MPs and brought Mr Zwane from outside parliament so that he could appoint him to the position of minister of mineral resources.

“Mr Zwane had no previous experience of being a MP, he had no prior exposure or experience in mining or mineral resources and had never been a minister before. His record as an MEC in the Free State provincial government was dismal and there is no way that President Zuma would have chosen him because he thought he would do a better job as minister of mineral resources than Mr Ngoako Ramatlhodi or than any other ANC member of the National Assembly that he could have appointed.”

This is a developing story.

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