'Consultants were biased'

2003-11-20 12:36

George - Reports by independent environmental consultants on the controversial Roodefontein golf estate development were biased, the official dealing with the project in the Western Cape's department of environment affairs and development planning said on Thursday.

Dr Steve du Toit was giving evidence in the George regional court in the corruption trial of former provincial premier Peter Marais and ex-environment MEC David Malatsi.

The two men are alleged to have taken thousands of rands in bribes to smooth the way for provincial approval of the R500m project.

Du Toit told the court that it was a legal requirement that environmental consultants sign a formal declaration that they had no financial or other interest in a project they were working on.

Asked by prosecutor Bruce Morrison whether there was not a conflict of interest, as the consultants were being paid by the developers, he said: "That's a highly debatable subject, and it's up for questioning at the moment.

"In my opinion, even though they are being paid by the developers, they still have an obligation, primarily to the environment and by extension to the people of South Africa, to be objective."

He had no doubt that Cathy Avierinos and Gavin Hellstrom, the husband-and-wife partners in HilLand Associates, the George consultancy hired by the Roodefontein developers, were objective and tried to present objective reports on the project.

"However, the reports they submitted have been shown to be biased by three independent reviewers," he said.

Du Toit said it was a matter "of grave concern" to the department that HilLand had been collapsing the processes required by environmental legislation by carrying out the scoping exercise and compiling an environmental impact report before submitting a formal application to the department.

It was clear they had "run a considerable distance" with the process before submitting an application.

He acknowledged that HilLand claimed it submitted the application on October 6, 2000, but said his department only received the forms in June 2001.

Asked by Morrison whether he had investigated whether an October application could have been received and mislaid in the department, Du Toit said: "Thoroughly. But the allegation was it had been submitted to my table, to me personally.

"I'm confident that no application was put on my table prior to June 11, 2001."

- SAPA