The “enormous and improper influence” the Gupta family is believed to have over President Jacob Zuma and the affairs of government will again feature in the National Assembly on Thursday.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane will ask the “president to explain‚ before Parliament and the people of South Africa‚ whether the Gupta family and others played a role‚ directly or indirectly‚ in the decision that sent the country’s economy into a tailspin”.
He said on Wednesday that there is a “growing body of evidence” about the Gutptas seemingly carrying weight in crucial government decisions.
Maimane said his written question to Zuma seeks to find out “whether he consulted any person before the appointment of David van Rooyen as minister of finance on 9 December 2015‚ and removal of Mr van Rooyen as Minister of Finance three days later”.
Claims that the Guptas met with the deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas last year to offer him the top Treasury job emerged in the last week. Jonas apparently turned them down.
Maimane’s comments come a day after the Presidency denied knowledge of overtures made to Vytjie Mentor‚ a former African National Congress caucus chairperson and party MP‚ who dropped a bombshell by saying that she was offered a job as Cabinet Minister by the Gupta family — when Zuma was in another room of their mansion.
In response‚ the Presidency issued a statement on Tuesday evening saying: “President Jacob Zuma has no recollection of Ms Mentor. He is therefore unable to comment on any alleged incident in her career.”
But‚ TMG Digital reported on Tuesday‚ in 2010‚ the Sunday Times reported the African National Congress (ANC) was investigating Mentor after she got Transnet to pay R150000 for her to join Zuma’s state visit to China in August.
Mentor was axed as one of four chairpersons of parliamentary committees by the ANC in November 2010‚ and a report at the time speculated her ousting was because she “turned up uninvited” on the president’s China trip.
The Presidency later on Tuesday moved to refute what it called “the misleading media reports stating that…Mentor ‘accompanied’ President Jacob Zuma on a state visit to China”.
“Such reports are an attempt to dispute the Presidency assertion that that the president has no recollection of the former MP‚” it said in a second statement.
“Mentor was definitely not part of the official delegation to the People’s Republic of China‚ should she have travelled to the country during the state visit.”
Maimane’s DA colleague Natasha Mazzone on Tuesday said of the Presidency’s comments: “South Africans deserve more than ‘President Angazi’s’ response.
“The president cannot simply pretend that Ms Mentor never existed. He must address these allegations with the seriousness they demand‚ and give us the answers we deserve‚” Mazzone said.
“Clearly the president would rather forget Ms Mentor than acknowledge her allegations‚ in the same way that he feigned ignorance when the Guptas jet landed at Waterkloof and when R246-million was spent to upgrade his homestead at Nkandla.”
If Mentor wasn’t a blip on the president’s radar‚ she might be now as #VytjieMentor trended on Twitter on Wednesday.
Thabiso Thakali MBE ?@Thabiso–TK suggested we would be hearing more of this type of response: “The new buzz phrase: ‘i have no recollection of...’‚ will be used if I don’t want to deny or confirm things‚ thanks to #VytjieMentor”.
ALETTAHA ? ? ? ?@ALETTAHA seemed distraught that she could end up in court: “Cowardly Bullies! ‘@mailandguardian: #Guptas threaten legal action against Mentor over FB comments. #VytjieMentor’”
Lùdwë ?@sirluds felt Mentor needed protection: “Hands off Aunty #VytjieMentor stop trying to dicredit her with stupid allegations.”
Khadija Patel @khadijapatel suggested similarities in the denial to that of certain former US president: “JZ in Bill Clinton voice: ‘I did not have any relations with that woman.’ “
Guptas' influence over government on Parliament’s agenda
The “enormous and improper influence” the Gupta family is believed to have over President Jacob Zuma and the affairs of government will again feature in the National Assembly on Thursday.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane will ask the “president to explain‚ before Parliament and the people of South Africa‚ whether the Gupta family and others played a role‚ directly or indirectly‚ in the decision that sent the country’s economy into a tailspin”.
He said on Wednesday that there is a “growing body of evidence” about the Gutptas seemingly carrying weight in crucial government decisions.
Maimane said his written question to Zuma seeks to find out “whether he consulted any person before the appointment of David van Rooyen as minister of finance on 9 December 2015‚ and removal of Mr van Rooyen as Minister of Finance three days later”.
Claims that the Guptas met with the deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas last year to offer him the top Treasury job emerged in the last week. Jonas apparently turned them down.
Maimane’s comments come a day after the Presidency denied knowledge of overtures made to Vytjie Mentor‚ a former African National Congress caucus chairperson and party MP‚ who dropped a bombshell by saying that she was offered a job as Cabinet Minister by the Gupta family — when Zuma was in another room of their mansion.
In response‚ the Presidency issued a statement on Tuesday evening saying: “President Jacob Zuma has no recollection of Ms Mentor. He is therefore unable to comment on any alleged incident in her career.”
But‚ TMG Digital reported on Tuesday‚ in 2010‚ the Sunday Times reported the African National Congress (ANC) was investigating Mentor after she got Transnet to pay R150000 for her to join Zuma’s state visit to China in August.
Mentor was axed as one of four chairpersons of parliamentary committees by the ANC in November 2010‚ and a report at the time speculated her ousting was because she “turned up uninvited” on the president’s China trip.
The Presidency later on Tuesday moved to refute what it called “the misleading media reports stating that…Mentor ‘accompanied’ President Jacob Zuma on a state visit to China”.
“Such reports are an attempt to dispute the Presidency assertion that that the president has no recollection of the former MP‚” it said in a second statement.
“Mentor was definitely not part of the official delegation to the People’s Republic of China‚ should she have travelled to the country during the state visit.”
Maimane’s DA colleague Natasha Mazzone on Tuesday said of the Presidency’s comments: “South Africans deserve more than ‘President Angazi’s’ response.
“The president cannot simply pretend that Ms Mentor never existed. He must address these allegations with the seriousness they demand‚ and give us the answers we deserve‚” Mazzone said.
“Clearly the president would rather forget Ms Mentor than acknowledge her allegations‚ in the same way that he feigned ignorance when the Guptas jet landed at Waterkloof and when R246-million was spent to upgrade his homestead at Nkandla.”
If Mentor wasn’t a blip on the president’s radar‚ she might be now as #VytjieMentor trended on Twitter on Wednesday.
Thabiso Thakali MBE ?@Thabiso–TK suggested we would be hearing more of this type of response: “The new buzz phrase: ‘i have no recollection of...’‚ will be used if I don’t want to deny or confirm things‚ thanks to #VytjieMentor”.
ALETTAHA ? ? ? ?@ALETTAHA seemed distraught that she could end up in court: “Cowardly Bullies! ‘@mailandguardian: #Guptas threaten legal action against Mentor over FB comments. #VytjieMentor’”
Lùdwë ?@sirluds felt Mentor needed protection: “Hands off Aunty #VytjieMentor stop trying to dicredit her with stupid allegations.”
Khadija Patel @khadijapatel suggested similarities in the denial to that of certain former US president: “JZ in Bill Clinton voice: ‘I did not have any relations with that woman.’ “
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