Resignation of Bell Pottinger CEO is not a heroic act

Please find attached a soundbite by the DA National Spokesperson, Phumzile Van Damme MP.
James Henderson’s decision to relinquish his role as CEO of Bell Pottinger is not in any way an act of valour – he owns 40% of the public relations firm and remains a majority shareholder.
If Henderson had truly appreciated the implications of their propaganda in South Africa, he would repay the £1 200 000 (approximately R20 million) it earned from the Gupta family and President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma, for the benefit of South Africa as the DA requested.
Full disclosure of the nature of the contract it entered into with Zuma and the Guptas would have demonstrated goodwill and willingness to begin to repair the damage their work caused to South Africa.
In addition, Henderson is on record stating that he would publicly release the report by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP3, the law firm hired by Bell Pottinger to audit the Gupta account, by the end of August.
August has ended and no report has been released. Instead, we receive news of his resignation, a move no doubt, designed to appease. The DA is not appeased.
On Tuesday morning, following a complaint lodged by the DA, the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) will release its findings on Bell Pottinger’s contract for the Gupta-owned Oakay capital.
We trust that a tough sanction will be handed down to send a message to the entire PR industry that the sort of behaviour engaged in by Bell Pottinger, will not be tolerated.
The DA will announce a way forward and any further action it may take against Bell Pottinger after the release of the report.

Firing acting Chief Procurement Officer Schalk Human is a victory for state capture

Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba’s decision to fire acting Chief Procurement Officer Schalk Human, together with two other senior officials, without any explanation, is a victory for the “get National Treasury brigade”, including President Jacob Zuma, the Guptas and ANN7.
The fact is that Schalk Human and the officials who worked with him were some of the most important soldiers in the battle against state capture, and yet they were made to walk the plank by a minister who does not have the guts to stand up and fight for National Treasury.
What makes it worse is that the minister is trying to hide behind the Director-General of the National Treasury, Dondo Mogajane, in an effort to deflect responsibility for what is a shocking decision that risks compromising National Treasury.
We need to know what the minister knew, and when he knew it, and so I will, therefore, be submitting a series of parliamentary questions probing the firing of Schalk Human and other senior officials, at National Treasury.

Bell Pottinger appeals DA’s complaint

Please find attached a soundbite by the DA Shadow Minister of Communications, Phumzile Van Damme MP.
The DA can confirm that Bell Pottinger has submitted an appeal to the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), in reference to the decision to uphold the complaint filed by the DA.
The PRCA Board of Management will now meet again on Monday, 4 September, to consider this appeal and will issue its final ruling on Tuesday, 5 September.
The DA looks forward to the outcome of the ruling and we trust that PRCA will make the right decision in holding Bell Pottinger accountable.
We reiterate our call for Bell Pottinger to do the right thing and disclose all Gupta contracts and monies from their accounts with the Guptas and reinvest it into South Africa.

DA does not buy Minister Brown’s Trillian excuse

The DA notes Public Enterprises Minister, Lynne Brown’s claim that she did “not know” that Eskom was lying about its relationship with the Gupta-linked Trillian.
The Minister’s comments come after Eskom suddenly made a U-turn on Monday after it initially claimed that the R1.6 billion it had paid to Trillian and Mckinsey was above board.
The DA simply does not buy the Minister’s poor excuse. “I didn’t know” is not good enough and as the Minister of Public Enterprises, she should have known.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Minister is failing at her job as shareholder representative. Under her watch, dodgy dealings at Eskom for the benefit of the Guptas, have become a common practice.
The DA finds the Minister’s sudden revelations rather suspicious considering that she had allegedly misled Parliament when she seemingly failed to reveal if there had been any existing contracts of engagement between Eskom and Trillian, in a written reply to a DA parliamentary question.
Minister Brown needs to stop digging deeper holes for herself and lay bare what she knows or come clean as to who lied to her.
All those involved in Eskom’s latest scandal must be held to account. These include the Minister, under whose watch this happened, and the suspended Eskom CFO, Anoj Singh, who not only facilitated Eskom’s procurement of these contracts but also allegedly orchestrated the power utility’s lies when this scandal came to light.
The DA has already laid charges against Anoj Singh regarding his work as a Gupta henchmen at Eskom, and we have also reported the Minister to the Public Protector.
The DA will ensure that this Trillian saga is duly investigated at the upcoming Eskom Inquiry.

Hawks confirm they are investigating the Guptas for allegedly using public funds to pay for a family wedding at Sun City in 2013

Note to editors: Attached please find a sound bite in English
This morning, Lieutenant-General Yolisa Matakata, acting head of the Hawks, confirmed at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance, that “a team” was now investigating the charges I laid against Mosebenzi Zwane, Atul Gupta, Ajay Gupta, Rajesh Gupta, Ronica Ragavan and Kamal Vasram with the South African Police Service on 03 July 2017 in Cape Town.
This follows revelations that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly washed through a complex web of front companies, and used to pay for Vega Gupta and Aakash Jahajgarhia’s wedding at Sun City in 2013.
The charges include: racketeering, money laundering, assisting another to benefit from the proceeds of unlawful activities, and acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities in terms of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act (No. 121 of 1998); and submitting false, or untrue, tax returns in terms of the Tax Administration Act (No. 28 of 2011).
The fact that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly used to pay for President Jacob Zuma’s number one clients’, the Guptas’, family wedding is grotesque and must be investigated without fear or favour, by the Hawks.

Vrede Dairy Farm: Guptas and the ANC stole economic opportunity from black South Africans

The following remarks were made today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane MP, outside the Hawks Headquarters in Pretoria. Maimane was joined by DA Shadow Minister of Justice, Glynnis Breytenbach MP. The full indictment handed over to the Hawks can be accessed here.
Fellow South Africans,
We are gathered here outside the Hawks Head Office to seek justice for those South Africans – our brothers and sisters – who were robbed of economic opportunity by the ANC and the Guptas.
Today I have in my hand a legal indictment containing over 200 pages of prima facie evidence showing that Minister Zwane and members of the Gupta family, through an intricate web of companies and actors, stole almost R200 million of public funds which ended up paying for a Gupta family wedding at Sun City in 2013.
In a small town named Vrede in the eastern Free State, not further than 250kms from here, a crime was committed and money and opportunity was stolen from the people of Vrede in order to fill the pockets of a small clique of powerful individuals who have captured the government, the President, and the ANC.
The victims of this theft are 80 local community members, who were the intended beneficiaries, who would have become part owners of this project, and who would have had an economic stake in the agricultural sector of our country.
Instead of empowering those who are left out of the economy, black South Africans were used as a front for a calculated scheme of grand corruption and money laundering to benefit the Guptas and their friends in the ANC. Between the Guptas and the ANC government, economic opportunity was stolen from black South Africans.
This is a crime of the most reprehensible nature. And today we are here to ensure those who stole face the full might of the law.
It began back in 2013 when the Free State Provincial Government – under then Agriculture MEC, Mosebeni Zwane – launched what is now referred to as the Vrede Dairy Farm project. This community based project, which targeted over 80 intended local beneficiaries, was a joint private-public project between the Free State Agriculture Department and a successful bidder from the private sector.
The aim was to empower local residents and boost provincial agriculture through the establishment of this large scale dairy, with at least 80 community members having a direct stake in the project. On paper, it was full of promise. However, when Gupta-controlled company, Estina, was handed the tender for this project, it became clear this was a preconceived project designed to fill the pockets of the Guptas.
The project was fraught with irregularities and allegations of corruption from day one. What then transpired was a calculated money laundering scheme through an intricate web of transactions – which saw almost R200 million of public funds diverted from this project and straight into the pockets of the Guptas.
Sadly, the Vrede Dairy Farm project could act as a textbook case study of money laundering, collusion and corruption. Despite this, the Gupta-controlled Estina still sits with almost R200 million of public money while the intended beneficiaries are left penniless.
We are here today to make one thing clear: we will not allow this theft of economic opportunity to fall by the wayside.
Because we know who the bad guys are.
And you know who the bad guys are.
Even the police and the Hawks know who the bad guys are.
They are the Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane; they are Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh Gupta; they are the numerous Gupta stooges who work for Gupta-controlled companies such as Oakbay, Linkway and Estina.
The question thus beckons – why has this cut and dry matter not been finalised by the Hawks and referred for prosecution by the NPA?
This indictment delivered today acts as concrete evidence which outlines in detail how this money was stolen from the intended beneficiaries, and provides sufficient evidence to support the criminal charges laid against several members of the Gupta family, their associates, and Minister Zwane last month by DA Shadow Minister of Finance, David Maynier MP. These charges include money laundering, racketeering, assisting another to benefit from the proceeds of unlawful activities, and acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities in terms of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act 121 of 1998.
We believe that the evidence contained in this indictment, emanating from the tranche of “Gupta email leaks”, is both clear and comprehensive, and sufficient to conclude the investigation into this matter and hand it over to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for prosecution. There is no reason for either the Hawks or the NPA to drag its feet on this matter.
Included in this indictment are documents which reveal the following:

  • Then MEC for Agriculture in the Free State, Mosebenzi Zwane, now Minister of Mineral Resources, was instrumental in persuading the Provincial Government to adopt the dairy project;
  • The project was not put out to public tender;
  • Linkway Trading, a Gupta-controlled company, entered into a consulting contract with Estina, also a Gupta-controlled company to the value of R138 000;
  • Financial records show that over a six-week period between August and September 2013, Estina transferred $8 348 700.00 (R84 million at the then prevailing exchange rate) to the Dubai bank account of Gateway LLC, a Gupta controlled UAE shelf company;
  • This transfer represented the entire amount transferred from the Free State provincial government to Estina for purposes of the Dairy project, to the Gupta controlled account at Standard Chartered Bank in Dubai;
  • The Standard Chartered account was clearly used to launder the money in question, since at least three quarters of the funds in question were almost immediately transferred back to two Gupta-controlled South African companies Linkway Trading and Oakbay Investments;
  • Three months after the wedding, on 31 July 2013 Linkway Trading, a South African-based Gupta-controlled company, presented Accurate, a Gupta-controlled shelf company in the UAE, with a 4 page, itemized invoice for expenses for the “V and A function at Sun City”.
  • A South African National Treasury probe followed the exposure of the malpractices at the dairy farm in the media and Estina was removed from the project, but by then the Provincial Government had paid Estina the amount of R210 million

We believe that this is a cut and dry example of money laundering and corruption. The charges have been laid, the evidence is clear and overwhelming, and now all that’s left to do is move forward with prosecution. It is this unacceptable that the perpetrators of this crime have yet to be charged, and as such, this indictment serves to speed up the wheels of justice to ensure that those who stole the people’s money are prosecuted, and if found guilty by a court of law – are put behind bars.
The DA is unrelenting in our effort to seek true justice for this group of South Africans who are the real victims of the ANC’s State Capture project

Ministers mum on Government links with Bell Pottinger

The Ministers of Communications, Police, Public Enterprises and Small Business Development have chosen to remain mum on their links to Bell Pottinger.
The DA submitted a range of Parliamentary questions to all government departments asking them whether they or their entities have made use of the services of Bell Pottinger.
The DA submitted these questions in the interest of transparency, as it is important that the public know the full extent of Bell Pottinger’s relationship with our government.
Of all the departments, which responded to our questions, the Department of Tourism is the only department to confirm their links with the PR firm.
The DA’s questions appeared in Parliament’s questions paper on 26 May 2017 and their replies were due by 9 June 2017.
According to the National Assembly Rule 145(5)(a):“A question for written reply must be replied to within 10 working days, provided that the responsible Minister may in writing request the Speaker for an extension not exceeding a further 10 working days on good cause shown”.
However, none of the four Ministers requested an extension for any of our questions.
Therefore, the utter silence on this matter is highly concerning, especially considering in light of all the information coming to light, seemingly confirming that the ANC government has been captured by the Guptas.
Following the destructive propaganda campaign, Bell Pottinger designed for the Guptas, which saw the PR company exploiting racial divisions in our country, we need to know which departments have been in cahoots with Bell Pottinger and the Guptas.
The hearing into the Bell Pottinger’s behaviour, following a complaint laid by the DA, will be heard by the Public Relations and Communications Association in London on 18th of August 2017.
The DA is determined to ensure that Bell Pottinger, not only accounts but commits to reinvesting any profits from their dealings with the Guptas back to South Africa.

Now is the time to not remain silent, Deputy President Ramaphosa

The following remarks were delivered by DA Leader Mmusi Maimane at an event today where he delivered to Deputy President Ramaphosa a petition signed by 1 million South Africans calling for President Zuma to be fired.
My fellow South Africans,
People often ask me: “What can ordinary South Africans do to save our country from the looting that is taking place?”
People want to step into the fight. They feel justifiably angry, but they also feel powerless. They see the evidence against Jacob Zuma and Guptas piling up like this big, flat mountain here next to us, but to them it seems like the guilty are getting away with it.
And to these people I say: Do everything you possibly can. March with us. Write to an MP. Use your vote. Sign a petition. Exhaust every single avenue. Because together these actions cannot go unnoticed.
Today I have brought with me the signatures of over a million South Africans who did just that. More than a million South Africans who want us, the Members of the National Assembly, to put our country first and fire Jacob Zuma.
And I have brought them here to the steps of Tuynhuys so that I can leave them in the hands of the Deputy President. Because if anyone needs reminding of exactly what must be done to save our country, it is Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mr Ramaphosa, I call on you today to do what you know is the right thing. There is only one ethical and honourable course of action here. You know it, I know it, and every single South African knows it.
We call on you to vote to fire President Zuma in next week’s Motion of No Confidence. We also call on you to use your position as Leader of Government Business to encourage ANC MPs to vote in accordance with their oaths of office, and to vote President Zuma out.
Three weeks ago you told the world that you will not remain quiet when it comes to the looting of our country through state capture. You said:
When things like these are spewing out in our national discourse, we cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot keep quiet. We now know without any shred of uncertainty that billions of Rands of public money have been diverted into the pockets of a few.”
Those are fighting words. But words mean nothing until you put them in action.
For the millions of South Africans who suffer every day in this country under this disastrous government, your loyalty to the ANC means nothing. They want straight answers and they want accountability. They want you to do your job.
And when you say you will not remain silent about those who are looting our country, the people of South Africa want you to speak up where it really matters. Not at an SACP congress. Not in interviews. Not in the media.
No, if you want to show us you are a man of your word – a man of integrity – then raise your voice where it matters. As the Leader of Government Business, you are arguably the most influential voice in the cabinet and in the ANC caucus. This is where you must not remain silent.
Because if you’re out there in the spotlight of the media saying one thing, but doing the exact opposite in the benches of the ANC and behind the closed doors of caucus and cabinet meetings, then there is only one conclusion South Africans can draw: You cannot be trusted.
Apart from your own sworn duty to your country – which compels you to do the right thing and vote in favour of the Motion of No Confidence next week – you have a responsibility to hold your ANC colleagues to their duty too.
Some of these colleagues have spoken out recently and said that they intend to vote with their conscience. MP’s like Makhosi Khoza, Pravin Gordhan and Mondli Gungubele. But these people have been threatened with disciplinary action – even with their jobs. Is this what you fear too, Mr Ramaphosa?
It seems that if you have a conscience in the ANC, you are done. This is something Gwede Mantashe confirmed on Monday when he said: “If they had a conscience, they should have discovered it before they agreed to be in Parliament on an ANC list.”
Surely this cannot be true, Mr Ramaphosa? Gwede Mantashe must be wrong. Surely there must be space within your party for men and women to act with courage of conviction; to put South Africa first.
We’ve been here on seven occasions in the past. And in seven previous Motion of No Confidence votes you and your colleagues in the ANC benches chose to stand behind a corrupt president rather than the people of South Africa.
This eighth vote will likely be the last chance you will have to prove yourselves. If you fail to use it, you will sink along with the ANC.
Whether by secret ballot or open ballot, there is only one possible correct vote on this motion. Anything other than support for the motion will be a dereliction of your duty, and this includes a choice to abstain from voting.
Anyone who aspires to the highest office in the land has to stand with the people. This should go without saying.
The signatures in these boxes represent the will of the people. There is no grey area when it comes to what is expected of you. The ball is in your court now. Let your conscience guide you, and know that the people will not forget your decision.
Thank you.

The Public Protector’s token efforts will not save us from the Guptas

The following remarks were delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at a public meeting in Morokweng, North West Province, as part of the #Change19 Tour.
My fellow South Africans,
This morning I visited the homes of families here in Morokweng, and I was left saddened and angry at the conditions than many people here have to live in.
You have a government that no longer cares what happens to you here in this far-flung corner of the country. You simply don’t matter to them any longer, because they have become a government that looks after themselves and their friends first, and the people last.
A government that cares about the wealth of President Zuma and the Guptas instead of the welfare of ordinary men, women and children like you.
Every Rand that has been diverted towards the Guptas – and there have already been billions – is money that could have made a difference in your lives.
Last month the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, announced that she would be launching a new investigation into State Capture. But she didn’t give us any details of whom or what she intended to investigate. Of course we were skeptical, given her track record in office to date.
So I wrote to her and asked her to explain the scope of this new investigation. Since the previous Public Protector’s Report we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of Gupta emails leaked to the press, directly implicating the President and the three Gupta brothers in the looting of our resources. She has enough evidence to investigate this matter right to the very top.
A month later, on the 18th of July, I received a reply from her office in which she informed me that her investigation would focus on three things:

  1. Eskom complaints, including the appointment of Briand Molefe as CEO, the awarding of contracts to Matshela Koko’s daughter, the role of Minister Lynne Brown in the reappointment of Molefe, and allegations by former Minister Ramathlodi that Molefe and Ben Ngubane pressurised him into securing the Glencore mine for the Guptas.
  2. Transnet complaints, including allegations of a R5.3bn kickback on locomotive procurement, the role of Malusi Gigaba in the appointment of Iqbal Shama and Brian Molefe to the Transnet board, and the role of Regiments Capital and Trillian Capital in the procurement of freight locomotives.
  3. New State Capture allegations, including the leaking of confidential information to the Guptas by Faith Muthambi, and allegations of South African immigration officials positioned in India to assist Gupta associates and businesses.

Now, I welcome this investigation, as I am sure most South Africans would. But anyone can see what is missing here. Despite a mountain of evidence, she has deliberately avoided going after the four main players in this corrupt super-syndicate: Jacob Zuma, Atul Gupta, Ajay Gupta and Rajesh Gupta.
Everyone else is just a minor player in this saga. They are just the foot soldiers who had to open the doors, grease the wheels and cover the tracks of the real criminals. Advocate Mkhwebane’s failure to even mention these people leads me to one conclusion only: She has no intention of doing her sworn duty because the independence of her office is severely compromised.
Fellow South Africans,
Until we rid our government of the parasites that suck our country dry, communities like this will always suffer. Because it is impossible to serve both the Guptas’ greed and the people’s needs.
This ANC government has proven, over and over again, that it does not have the will to kick a corrupt president and his corrupt cronies out. Our only hope lies in a fresh start under a new government. And this is where you come in. Because only through the power of your vote can we save our country.
In the 2019 election, you will have the opportunity to do just that. But for many of you it will mean doing something you’ve never done before. It will mean turning your back on the ANC, like they have already turned their back on you.
I assure you, if you lend the DA your vote in 2019, we will make your needs our priority. We will not forget this community.

Hands off the Treasury: Gupta-puppet Malusi Gigaba must resign!

The following speech was delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at a protest outside the National Treasury Headquarters in Pretoria. The Leader was joined by Tshwane Mayor, Solly Msimanga, DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, and DA Gauteng Leader, John Moodey.
Today we are gathered here outside the headquarters of National Treasury to send a clear message to Jacob Zuma, his ANC, and the Guptas: keep your hands off of Treasury and the people’s money!
We are here to demand that the keys to Treasury be taken back from the Guptas and be given to the people of South Africa so that our money can be spent on improving the lives of all in our nation – not just the connected few.
Fellow Democrats,
Treasury is by far the most important government department in the entire country. It is responsible for managing the country’s money – our entire R1.4 trillion national budget.
Treasury decides as to how our country’s money is spent on the people – such as building houses, roads, schools, hospitals, and creating jobs.
There are thousands of good and honest employees of Treasury who work tirelessly to ensure the right amount of money is spent, by the appropriate government departments, on the needs of our people and our country. We salute you!
We are currently in a fight for the future of South Africa. This fight is between those who are benefiting from the current corrupt system and those who believe we need to change this corrupt system totally.
I am in the latter group, and there are millions of South Africans who are standing with us.
Most patriotic South Africans inside the Treasury are doing what is right and honest, despite the enormous pressure they face. They are heroes.
Keep doing what is right and you will have the respect and support of the nation!
In the right hands and under the right leadership, Treasury has the ability to change the lives of South Africans and to allocate resources to building a better, brighter and more prosperous nation.
However, the Treasury is under siege.
Just over 100 days ago, Malusi Gigaba was appointed Minister of Finance, after Jacob Zuma swiftly fired Pravin Gordhan as he refused to allow the Guptas control over the people’s money.
It has been a long standing desire of Jacob Zuma and the Guptas to take full control of the Treasury, in order to control the flow of all public money.
That’s why back in 2014, the Guptas and Zuma planned to fire then-Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, and replace him the ultimate “yes man” – the unknown Des Van Rooyen.
From the outset, Pravin Gordhan made it clear he was no one’s puppet. And this meant less stealing and corruption for Zuma and his cronies.
With their initial plan having failed – and costing the country’s economy billions of Rands in the process – the Guptas and Zuma resorted to “Plan B”: fire Pravin Gordhan and replace him with a proven loyalist: Malusi Gigaba.
And just over 100 days ago, Zuma and the Guptas carried out this plan. Malusi Gigaba was appointed Minister of Finance with a mandate from Saxonwold.
There was no explanation for the firing of Minister Gordhan and his Deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, other than to make way for a Gupta yes-man in Malusi Gigaba. Which is why the DA challenged this decision in court.
We asked the court to rule that President Zuma should give us his reasons and a record of his decision for firing Gordhan and Jonas, which it did. But, predictably, President Zuma missed the deadline, deciding to appeal the court decision instead. He is just playing for time, but he will not get away with it.
Fellow Democrats,
There is no question where Malusi Gigaba stands in the fight to change this corrupt system. Since 2010, when he was first appointed as a Minister in the Cabinet, Gigaba has been doing the Gupta’s bidding.
During Gigaba’s spell as Public Enterprises Minister, his main job was to capture our country’s State Owned Entities (SOEs) for the sole benefit of the Guptas. He appointed to the boards of Eskom, Denel, Prasa, and Transnet, individuals who have been shown to be closely associated with the Gupta family. These include Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Iqbal Sharma, Nazia Carrim, Romeo Khumalo, Mark Pamensky, Marriam Cassim, Ben Ngubane, Kuben Moodley, and Viroshni Naidoo.
This allowed Gupta-owned companies to control those SOEs and to secure many lucrative deals, ensuring the Guptas and the Zumas become rich, and the people of South Africa stay poor.
After he had shown his loyalty to the Guptas, Gigaba was moved to Home Affairs, were as Minister he rolled out the red carpet for Guptas friends, employees, business partners to easily gain citizenship and access to the country.
Gigaba fast-tracked dozens of visas to benefit Gupta businesses as they moved employees, associates and family members between South Africa, India and Dubai. And when the Guptas themselves were denied South African citizenship, guess who make sure it was granted under “exceptional circumstances” – Minister Gigupta!
This Gupta ally is now in charge of all our country’s money. We must stand united against the capture of our Treasury.
Fellow South Africans,
We cannot allow our country’s budget to be crafted at Saxonwold.
The budget is meant to be spent on developing our country, not developing Zuma’s new Dubai mansion.
It is unfair that the ANC has created a system which keeps ordinary people stuck, while only the ANC and people with connections get ahead.
What’s more is that in the three months Gigaba has been at the helm, we have seen our economy tumble. We have now been officially downgraded to “junk” status, and our unemployment rate is at a record 14-year high of 27.7%.
What is clear is that Malusi Gigaba is bad for our economy and our country, and good for the Guptas. As a Gupta appointee, we cannot allow him to be in charge of our country’s finances, and its jobs plan to create work for the 9.3 million unemployed South Africans.
We are therefore here to hand over a memorandum demanding that Malusi Gigaba resigns as Minister of Finance Minister immediately, so that we remove the hands of the Guptas from our Treasury and our money.
The DA will continue to fight tirelessly, through every mechanism possible, to free our institutions and our governments from State Capture and corruption.