Opposition party to file corruption charges against S/Africa vice President

By Mark Ogagan

South Africa’s opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has announced its intention to lay criminal charges of corruption against Deputy President Paul Mashatile (Pictured).

The charges are set to be filed at the Cape Town Central Police Station in Western Cape, following media reports implicating Mashatile in alleged corruption during his tenure as the MEC for human settlements in Gauteng.

The DA had previously submitted a dossier containing corruption allegations to President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month, urging the removal of Mashatile from the cabinet.

DA’s Solly Msimanga claims that the matter was brought to the Presidency because of the President’s authority to appoint the deputy president.

Party leader John Steenhuisen has underscored the need for action, citing investigative journalism reports detailing extensive corruption and state capture by Mashatile over nearly two decades.

The DA is calling for Ramaphosa to dismiss Mashatile, emphasising the gravity of the allegations.

In response, the Presidency states that if there is evidence of wrongdoing by Mashatile, it should be thoroughly examined and verified by competent authorities.

Steenhuisen criticises the President for not taking decisive action against corruption within the government, characterising it as a refusal to address grand corruption.

Steenhuisen says, “President Ramaphosa is willing to put cadres ahead of the country. He’s publicly told us that he refuses to act against the deputy president that he appointed despite alarming evidence which seems to point to systemic corruption and state capture perpetrated by his deputy Paul Mashatile. It is therefore frankly another cowardly excuse for him to say he needs the SAPS to tell him what to do. It’s simply unattainable that the President is allowed to turn a blind eye to grand corruption happening in the office in the Union Buildings.”