‘I did not mislead Parliament’

FORMER co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Des van Rooyen turned to the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to set aside the public protector’s report in which it was found that he lied to Parliament about visiting the Gupta compound in Saxonwold, Joburg.

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane last year found that Van Rooyen had violated the Executive Ethics Code and the Constitution. She called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to take appropriate action against him.

But Van Rooyen said in papers before the court that her findings were factually unfounded, irrational and unreasonable. He asked the court to find that he did not deliberately mislead Parliament when he replied to a question posed to him by DA member John Steenhuisen in April 2016.

This was a few months after former president Jacob Zuma appointed Van Rooyen finance minister.

Steenhuisen had asked Van Rooyen whether he or his deputies had met the Gupta family after taking office.

Van Rooyen said the question was specifically directed at him in his capacity as minister. So he gave the “truthful” answer that “the minister and his deputy ministers have never met members, employees or close associates of the Gupta family in their official capacities”.

Media reports stated that “Minister Des van Rooyen visited the Gupta family residence in Saxonwold several times in the run-up to his short lived tenure as finance minister”.

The reports claimed “the minister visited the Gupta home on consecutive days between December2 and 8”.

DA member Kevin Mileham lodged a complaint with the public protector in which he claimed Van Rooyen had lied to Parliament.

Van Rooyen said in court papers he took office as minister on December 9, 2015; he met the Gupta family on December 7, as treasurer-general of uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association.

Opposing papers must still be filed.