Steenhuisen Slams Ramaphosa’s COVID Inter-Ministerial Committee As A Pretty Darn Mere ‘Whitewashing Exercise’

CHARLES MOLELE

DA’s INTERIM leader John Steenhuisen says the inter-ministerial committee set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa to probe his own party’s COVID procurement corruption is just window dressing to create the illusion of action.

This comes after Ramaphosa appointed a committee of ministers on Thursday to assess all the government’s COVID19-related procurement.

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola will chair the six-member Cabinet committee.

The committee will look into corruption linked to COVID-19 tenders, including the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE).

“This COVID corruption committee will go the same dead-end route as the inter-ministerial bodies that investigated Nkandla and the Gupta landing at Waterkloof, and ended up exonerating every high-ranking ANC cadre. It’s nothing but a whitewashing exercise,” said Steenhuisen.

“Why is this committee centralised in the Presidency? How independent is it? Who will provide oversight over it? What real powers does it have? Could the President