President Cyril Ramaphosa says queries about a letter in which the ANC is alleged to have thanked Bosasa for an R3m donation should be addressed to the organization concerned because it is a party political issue.
In a response letter dated September 25 and addressed to Mmusi Maimane, Ramaphosa states that he has reflected on the matter and that in his view, this is not an issue that relates to the mandate or responsibility of the state president.
“It is a party political issue and therefore any queries should be addressed to the party concerned,” Ramaphosa wrote in the letter, which News24 has seen.
This comes after Maimane wrote to the president on September 20, threatening legal action if Ramaphosa failed to respond.
News24 previously reported that on March 31, 2014, then ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize thanked Bosasa former CEO Gavin Watson for an R3m donation to the governing party.
On August 22 this year, Maimane handed a copy of Mkhize’s letter to Ramaphosa in Parliament, asking him what Mkhize meant by the “continued financial support” from Bosasa, which is now trading as African Global Operations.
He also asked whether Ramaphosa would commit to ensuring that the governing party repays to the fiscus all the money received from Bosasa for the past 15 years.
In his response to the DA leader, Ramaphosa said: “I have been informed by the ANC treasurer-general at the time that he has issued a public statement about this matter, which I am sure you will have seen, and that he has interacted with the Zondo [state capture] commission [of inquiry] regarding this matter.
“I would advise that should any individual have evidence of criminal wrongdoing, as you suggested in your supplementary question of 22 August 2019 and in your letter of 20 September 2019, such evidence be provided to the relevant authorities.”
Maimane had written to Ramaphosa earlier, saying that he would be “criminally liable if you and your party knew and benefited from the proceeds of crime”.
Corruption allegations against Bosasa have dogged the company for more than a decade, with a string of allegations that the firm bribed government officials and politicians to secure multimillion-rand tenders.
In 2009, the National Prosecuting Authority announced that it had received a report into corruption between Bosasa and the Department of Correctional Services and had handed it to the Hawks for further investigation.
Former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi testified at the state capture inquiry that the company had supported the ANC financially for many years, News24 reported.
The company’s campus in Krugersdorp was used as a “war room” by the ANC during the 2014 and 2016 elections.
In other news – Jacob Zuma’s wife Nonkanyiso Conco shares her thoughts on love
Television producer Legend Manqele recently posted another snippet for his upcoming project, which social media users are calling Meet The Zumas. In the snippet, we are reintroduced to Nonkanyiso Conco, who is the latest and youngest wife of former president Jacob Zuma.
In the video, Conco is dressed in traditional Zulu regalia and shares a few facts about herself, such as the fact that she is the last born in her family, that she takes pride in her culture and heritage, and that she lives according to her culture. continue reading
Source: News24
