Gupta associate, Salim Essa, wanted Hatch to include Essa's company as a supply partner for a Transnet Project - Bester

Former Managing Director of Rail for Hatch Engineering, Henk Bester, has told the State Capture Commission in Johannesburg that he was approached by Gupta associate, Salim Essa, who wanted Hatch to include Essa's company as a supply partner for phase 2 of a Transnet Rail Project worth 800- million-rand. Bester says they had estimated the Manganese project would cost Transnet 27-billion-rand, but the project was divided in two phases to manage costs. Bester says Essa demanded, at the Melrose Arch meeting in April 2013, that he be partnered with Hatch for the Transnet business at a cost of 80 million rand.