Pretoria - At least 40 witnesses on a preliminary list set to appear in the public hearing into the R43 billion arms deal will be receiving official notifications as from Thursday.

The public hearing is set to start on May 28 in the Pretoria High Court. Witnesses include several key figures related to transactions conducted by the Defence Force and Armscor.

Representatives of the suppliers of corvettes, submarines, fighter planes and helicopters are unlikely to testify, but will be notified that evidence which involves them will be led. They will be able to submit written statements to members of the trial panel. The same procedures apply to other civilians involved.

Tony Yengeni, a former chairmen of the joint defence committee and an alleged recipient of a Mercedes-Benz stemming from the deals, is at this stage unlikely to testify.

This is because of criminal aspects of the arms investigation being conducted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NP) in which Yengeni is reportedly also implicated.

The parliamentary Ethics Committee is also conducting a probe into an oversight by Yengeni in declaring certain assets such as a car and a home.

Former Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Willem Hechter and Vice Admiral Robert Simpson-Anderson, former Navy chief are likely to be called as the first background witnesses.

Neither are “suspects” in the probe. They were in charge of the navy and air force when the procurement programme was initiated.

Following their appearance people such as former Defence Force, Trade and Industry and Finance ministers will be called on to testify.

Other witnesses to be called on include Chippy Shaik, chief of arms procurement in the Defence Force, Sipho Thomo former acquisitions manager and now senior executive officer for Armscor; Llew Swan former Armscor, January Masilela, Defence Ministry secretary, and his finance chief Jack Grundling; and Dawie Griessel, Johan van Dyk, Kevin Hanasey and Fritz Nortje all Armscor employees and involved in different aspect of the procurement programme.

Defence Force senior officers likely to testify include Rear-Admirals Chubby Howell, Johnny Kamerman, Keg Verster and Derek Dewey - all project officers - as well as Brigadier-General Otto Schur, chief of air procurement for the Air Force.

It appears that the witness list is likely to be amended in the light of findings of the criminal probe by the NP and a forensic investigation by the auditor-general.

These two agencies as well as the NP will each have a representative on the panel.  

With acknowledgment to Erika Gibson and News24.