DA threatens to lay criminal charges against Paul Mashatile

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it plans to lay criminal charges against Deputy President Paul Mashatile after the party handed over a dossier containing serious allegations of corruption against Mashatile to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The DA says that should President Ramaphosa fail to remove Mashatile, it will pursue legal action against him for his violation of the Executive Ethics Code.

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DA SAYS MASHATILE VIOLATED EXECUTIVE ETHICS CODE

“We will lay criminal charges against Paul Mashatile, using the information collated in the dossier of which President Ramaphosa is now in possession, to make the case for Mashatile’s immediate investigation and prosecution, and we will file an Executive Members’ Ethics Act complaint against Mashatile for his violation of the Executive Ethics Code,” the party said in a statement.

It said that over the past few months, numerous investigative journalists have published a series of explosive exposés outlining the extent to which Mashatile engaged in corruption and state capture spanning almost two decades.

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‘RAMAPHOSA CAN NO LONGER CLAIM IGNORANCE’

“These would constitute clear violations of the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, the Public Finance Management Act, and the Executive Members’ Ethics Act. With this dossier now in hand, President Ramaphosa can no longer claim ignorance that his ‘Number Two’ is heading a state capture scheme the likes of which was last seen under Jacob Zuma.”

The DA also said that if President Ramaphosa had carried out lifestyle audits of his executive, as promised in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the beginning of his term, all of these alleged corrupt dealings would have come to light across his cabinet.

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NUMEROUS MINISTERS FACING ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION, SAYS OPPOSITION PARTY

“Five years later, the South African national executive is still comprised of numerous ministers facing severe allegations of corruption, with Paul Mashatile now the single most compromised. Yet another broken promise from a bystander president for which there have been no consequences.” said the opposition party.

It also said that with the opening of parliament scheduled for the coming week, President Ramaphosa has all the information necessary to remove Paul Mashatile from the Executive Office.

“Should President Ramaphosa fail to announce this crucial removal from his cabinet in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), the DA will lay criminal charges against Paul Mashatile,” the DA said.

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