The DA has upped the ante in its push for Deputy President Paul Mashatile to be held accountable in connection with reports implicating him in corruption dating back more than two decades.
On Monday, party leader John Steenhuisen lodged a complaint at the Cape Town police station after President Cyril Ramaphosa did not heed their deadline to take action against Mashatile when they handed over a purported dossier at the Union Buildings.
Speaking to the media, Steenhuisen said his party had given Ramaphosa until last week’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) to announce what he intended to do about the serious allegations against Mashatile.
He charged that Ramaphosa had remained completely non-responsive to any of the allegations and refused to answer questions about the suitability or otherwise of his appointment as his second-in-command.
“It comes as no surprise that the president has once again failed to act against members of his own party who face these particular serious charges,” he said.
Steenhuisen, who announced that the DA had submitted a formal complaint to Parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests for a breach of the members’ code of conduct, said had Ramaphosa instituted lifestyle audits for his Cabinet ministers as promised in his first Sona, the allegations against Mashatile would have come to light for the requisite action to be taken. He also said they would seek an appointment with the Hawks.
“We will seek to supplement their particular cases with the matter we outlined in the charge sheet. We converted all the allegations from exposure but also the work we did on some of the things. This is a huge scandal that is enveloping the Presidency that you can’t stand before the nation at Sona and talk about corruption and get to the bottom of graft and eradicating state capture in the country when the very person occupying the office across from you at the Union Buildings has himself a serious cloud over his head and that... your own colleagues remain without any consequence from the exposure and work done at the Zondo commission to get to the bottom of state capture,” he said.
Mashatile’s spokesperson Vukani Mde said the DA turned up at the Union Buildings last week, claiming they had some kind of “dossier” to present to Ramaphosa.
“The Presidency issued a statement affirming that anyone that has genuine evidence of criminal wrongdoing has a right and even a duty to approach the proper authorities to report it.
Regardless of what the DA does, there is nothing to add to that statement.”
Cape Times