DA says Malusi deserves boot after Fireblade drama

The DA wants the ANC to give Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba the boot following the Constitutional Court’s refusal this week to hear an appeal to overturn damning findings against him.

The Constitutional Court refused to hear the appeal brought by Gigaba, to set aside a judgment by a full bench of the High Court in Pretoria, that he “... deliberately told untruths under oath” and that “...the minister has committed a breach of the Constitution so serious that [Judge Neil Tuchten] could characterise it as a violation”, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said.

It was little wonder that Gigaba did a runner from parliament on Wednesday on the very same day the judgment came out. Clearly, Gigaba could not face the music, Steenhuisen said.

“The fact is that he is deeply compromised and cannot be trusted to carry out his constitutional mandate to serve the people of South Africa. He is not above lying under oath, nor laying the groundwork for the Gupta’s to capture key public institutions for their own selfish gain.”

The High Court judgment was the result of Fireblade Aviation, who sought a declaratory order to compel Gigaba to abide by a decision he had taken to allow the company to run a customs and immigration service at a privately-owned airport operation. At the time, it was alleged that Gigaba revoked the approval he initially granted following pressure from the Gupta family.

“It is now up to President Cyril Ramaphosa to walk the talk and take steps to remove minister Gigaba as a matter of urgency,” Steenhuisen said. –