Durban - Allegations by EFF leader Julius Malema suggesting the newly appointed Minister of State Security Mondli Gungubele, was only given the job to make use of state funds to help the ANC finance its campaign for a new leader were rejected by the SSA on Wednesday.
State Security spokesperson Mava Scott told IOL that Malema’s comments were political and based on something that happened in the past.
“If I recall, the testimonies at the Zondo Commission were about things that have happened, not things that are still going to happen and if I listen to this, he (Malema) says it is going to happen.
“Firstly, that is a political statement as far as I’m concerned. So it is above my pay grade. I can’t be commenting on politics about what is likely and not likely to happen. What I can tell you is that at SSA we’ve noted all the things that were said at the Zondo Commission and there’s a lot of work that is happening to undo whatever was happening in the past,” Scott said.
During an EFF briefing on Tuesday, Malema said that Gungubele was appointed to the role of minister so the ANC could tap into the SSA’s “slush fund” for its upcoming leadership contest, likely to take place at the ruling party’s next elective conference.
Malema was making reference to the state capture testimony of a spy who said that they carried bags of cash to the ANC’s 2017 elective conference.
"They took that money because he's going to a conference this year, he's going to need that money because the Oppenheimers, the Ruperts and all the CR17 people, they can no longer donate. They are very scared," Malema said.
The CR17 campaign has been a hot topic of those opposed to President Cyril Ramaphosa since his appointment as commander in chief. Matters got even worse for Ramaphosa after a sound recording, implicating the president in a conversation about the misuse of public funds for political benefit, was leaked.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has given Ramaphosa seven to 10 days to respond. Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa confirmed on Tuesday that all parties agreed that they had to write to Ramaphosa first by seeking information.
“The president will be given seven to 10 days to respond to the committee through the form of a statement or affidavit on the matter at hand on the basis of utterances attributed to him as he makes them in the recording,” Hlengwa said.
“He must explain the recording and the contents thereof or therein and the committee on the basis of that response will make a determination on how it structures its way forward including but not limited to hearings and the issuance of invites to affected parties,” Hlengwa said.
Initially the ANC said that a summons cannot be issued because Ramaphosa had not been contacted. The party said summonses were issued as a last resort if people refused to appear before the committee.
The move came after the ANC in Parliament axed ANC MP Mervyn Dirks from Scopa and replaced him with another party member.
jehran.naidoo@inl.co.za
Political Bureau