Mashatile: go to cops, DA hears

The Presidency says if there is any evidence of wrongdoing against Deputy President Paul Mashatile it should be tested and verified by competent authorities.

This follows after Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen, pictured above right, went to the Union Buildings on Friday to hand over a dossier to the office of the president with an accompanying letter detailing damning allegations of corruption against Mashatile.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the Presidency had noted the statement by the DA at the Union Buildings.

“Ordinarily, the first port of call for anyone with evidence of criminal wrongdoing against anyone should be the police to lay criminal charges. Anyone who uses laying criminal charges as a threat to be activated if they don’t get some or other demanded political concession is obviously acting with a political motive.

“As part of existing and rigorous measures to ensure probity and ethical conduct among public representatives, the deputy president and all other members of the national executive have signed the Executive Members’ Code of Ethics, which includes a sworn declaration of assets and income.

“As members of parliament, Cabinet members also make similar oaths and declarations on parliament’s register of members’ interests. These are public documents to which the DA and all other interested parties have unfettered access,” he added.

Magwenya said guidelines and procedures had been adopted and implemented to subject members of the executive and senior state officials to lifestyle audits as an additional critical measure to prevent corruption and capture.

“The government is committed to clean government, ethical leadership and ending the scourge of corruption and state capture.”

Political analyst Piet Croucamp said the problem with laying charges is that a forensic investigation had to come up with evidence and it was better to go via the public protector and other institutions to look at the accusations against Mashatile.

“I will be surprised to see if the DA comes up with concrete evidence for NPA to prosecute him. It will be a long road,” he said.