John Steenhuisen lays criminal charges against Paul Mashatile
The DA says Paul Mashatile’s son-in-law allegedly benefited from state tenders while owing millions to the Gauteng Human Settlements.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, John Steenhuisen, has laid criminal charges for alleged corruption against Deputy President Paul Mashatile. At the same time, the ANC Veterans League wants him to appear before the party’s integrity commission.
Steenhuisen, who opened the case at the Cape Town Central police station on Monday, says President Cyril Ramaphosa has been entirely unresponsive to any of the allegations and refuses to answer questions about the suitability or appointment of Mashatile.
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MASHATILE ACCUSED OF NEPOTISM AND CORRUPTION
“This follows several allegations of corruption levelled against him, which span a number of decades. These include an intricate web of nepotism and family patronage in which Mashatile is allegedly the ultimate beneficiary,” Steenhuisen said.
According to Timeslive, several exposés have been written about Mashatile, alleging his son-in-law benefited from state tenders and that Mashatile has lived in houses allegedly bought with money from tenders.
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SON-IN-LAW ALLEGEDLY BENEFITED FROM STATE TENDERS
The most recent scandal was the purchase of a Constantia mansion by Mashatile’s son-in-law at a cost of R28.9m by his company, which still allegedly owes the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements R7m for the failed Alexandra housing project.
“Mashatile also faces allegations of having misled parliament for failing to declare his use of various properties, including a R37 million Waterfall house in Gauteng. In addition to this, Mashatile also breached the code of conduct by failing to act in all respects in a manner that is consistent with the integrity of the office of his government, said Steenhuisen.
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ANC VETERANS LEAGUE WANTS MASHATILE TO APPEAR BEFORE INTEGRITY COMMISSION
The ANC Veterans League wants all senior ANC leaders, including Mashatile, who face allegations of corruption, “misdeeds,” and wrongdoing to appear before the party’s integrity commission.
Mashatile’s spokesperson, Vukani Mde, said the deputy president was confident he would emerge unscathed from any investigation conducted by either the state or the ANC.