By Akani Nkuna
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has denied claims of corruption against him, denouncing them as propaganda attacks by political rivals and those associated with the social media accounts peddling the misinformation.
Mashatile’s acting spokesperson Keith Khoza said on Friday that a story by News24 and assertions by an account, GoolamMV, that the deputy president was being investigated by the Hawks, the Special Investigating Unit and the Public Protector over his “lavish lifestyle” were outright lies.
“The agenda has, since the deputy president arrived at the Union Buildings, been driven primarily by some parties and their proxies in the media group News24,” Khoza claimed in a statement.
He went further on to say that the GoolamMV account had joined forces with other political parties and foes to Mashatile to stir up trouble within the ANC.
“Most alarming are the desperate attempts of these nefarious actors to draw in state institutions into the ambit of their political campaign, they pretend to be the mouthpiece of state investigative institutions.
“They persistently insinuate on a matter beyond their reach, assuming that the public is gullible and will embrace their lies,” Khoza added.
Mashatile has denied buying a house in Cape Town for R28 million in cash in December 2023, saying the only house he owned is the one he bought together with his late wife in, Kelvin in Johannesburg through a bank loan.
GoolamMV also claimed that Mashatile owns a R37 million estate in Waterfall in Johannesburg whose purchase was facilitated by his son thought tenders acquired when Mashatile was an MEC in Gauteng.
However, Mashatile said that the properly belonged to his sons, and he preferred to live in it for security purposes.
Mashatile has also provided clarity on the sources of funds for his son and son-in-law, stating that he has not enabled them to benefit illegally from state resources.
He said the only time his son-in-law secured funding from the government was in 2013, which was investigated by the Human Settlements Department last year.
“There has never been allegation or suggestion that [Mashatile] was linked in any way to Nceba Nonkwela’s (son-in-law) dealings with the GPF (Gauteng Partnership Fund) , despite News24’s strenuous and unsuccessful attempts to draw a non-existence link,” Khoza said.
He also said that it was alarming to witness Mashatile’s detractors exploiting supposedly independent state law enforcement state institutions for their own political gain.
“The deputy president wants to restate his confidence in the role and purpose of the state security and law enforcement authorities,” said Khoza.
INSIDE POLITICS
