David Mabuza, Mpumalanga premier and ANC deputy president, has been slapped with a temporary protection order preventing him from using his political power to harass a wealthy businessman who blew the whistle on an alleged land claims scam.
The order, granted this week, is the latest salvo fired in a decades-long dispute between the premier and Frederick Daniel.
"It’s been a long drawn out war. This man has cost me millions in a fight I did not pick," said Daniel, who has a game farm in the Badplaas area.
The interdict will see Mabuza, who was served with the papers on Wednesday, appearing in the Carolina Magistrate's Court on February 19 to explain why the order should not be made permanent.
The interim order bars Mabuza from using his position to:
• Directly or indirectly incite or instruct government departments, state institutions, parastatals, government officials or land claimants from stopping or sabotaging Daniel’s business by, among other things, withholding permits;
• Engage in activities that may be perceived to influence the decision-making body of any institution, parastatal or government body that negatively influences their administrative duties;
• Allow any civil servant to falsify minutes and reports or instruct the police to destroy official government documents;
• Interfere with the private life of Daniel, his family and staff; and
• Insult, intimidate or abuse Daniel.
Daniel believes Mabuza is behind a smear and sabotage campaign against him because of a multi-billion rand land claims scam, which he blew the whistle on in May 2004.
Daniel claims the scam had the blessing of Mabuza when he was Mpumalanga's MEC for Land and Agriculture.
It allegedly involved landowners being forced to sell at below market value, before the land was sold back to community trusts at inflated prices.
Daniel has a R2.5-billion law suit in the North Gauteng High Court against Mabuza and officials in several Mpumalanga government departments, including the provincial tourism and parks agency.
The law suit involves the loss of business because the province refused to grant him permits to operate a luxury nature reserve, marketed as the gateway to one of South Africa's most pristine biodiversity areas located between Barberton and Bapsfontein.
Mabuza has vowed to fight the matter, which has now drawn in the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).
Mabuza's spokesman, Zibonele Mncwango, disputed allegations that the premier was behind a campaign to drive Daniel out of business and off his land.
