Brown asks PA to resign

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown, pictured, yesterday asked her personal assistant, Kim Davids, to resign after details of her ties to the controversial Gupta family emerged.

“This past week I have been confronted by allegations against Ms Davids. In the interest of fairness, I asked Ms Davids to respond to these allegations. I was satisfied with her responses but I felt that the continuous allegations against Ms Davids could compromise the legitimacy of my office,” Brown said.

“My decision is not an expression of guilt on the part of Ms Davids. However, it is important that my office is above reproach. I want to thank Ms Davids for her service and wish her well.”

Details of alleged influence by the Guptas on Davids, Brown’s partner Ingrid Tufvesson and Brown’s department’s director-general Richard Seleke emerged yesterday in an investigative media report.

According to the amaBhungane report, done by probing of thousands of leaked Gupta e-mails, the three have links to the Guptas, resulting in questionable appointments at state-owned enterprises and Brown’s reluctance to deal with “capture” allegations at the state companies.

Davids, alleged to have personally managed appointments at state enterprises at some point, visited Dubai in 2015 and stayed at the five-star Oberoi hotel. The Guptas allegedly paid for the trip.

She has since confirmed her travel to Dubai but could not explain why the Guptas paid.

Davids has had a long working relationship with Brown, dating back to 2010. – ANA