Target the real miscreants – Blade

THE SACP has described the sale of Gupta businesses as a brazen attempt by the controversial family to restore banking services, “evade tax responsibilities and to expatriate yet more ill-gotten wealth”.

Yesterday the party said the SA Reserve Bank and commercial banks had to block what they called “manoeuvres” by the Guptas before billions of more rand of public resources disappear into Dubai.

SACP general secretary and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande made these remarks at a media briefing following a central committee meeting in Johannesburg at the weekend.

The meeting was the first to be held after the ANC policy conference and the SACP’s elective conference in July.

Last week, the Guptas – President Jacob Zuma’s personal friends – announced the sale of their media business, including the 24-hour news channel ANN7 and The New Age newspaper to their ally, Mzwanele Manyi, for R450 million.

This was followed by the sale of their mining company Tegeta Exploration and Resources to a Swiss-based company for R2.97 billion.

Nzimande called on the parliamentary state capture inquiry to be expanded to investigate recent claims that the Guptas “pay only a fraction of their taxes”.

Parliamentarians were also suspicious of the sales, saying they suspected the Guptas, who are implicated in serious allegations of state capture, wanted to leave the country.

The SACP was also concerned about the ANC’s intentions to take disciplinary action against ANC MPs suspected to have voted for Zuma to be ousted during the recent no-confidence motion against him in Parliament.

ANC secretary- general Gwede Mantashe wrote to Derek Hanekom, the axed tourism minister and MP, saying he should provide reasons why he should not be removed as chairperson of the ANC national disciplinary committee following his series of tweets prior to the motion.

On Saturday, Hanekom hit back, saying he would not be “intimidated by threats and letters” for speaking out against the rot in the ANC.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that egregious ill-discipline, notably by certain ministers, in some cases amounting to treasonable sharing of cabinet information with private parties and for personal profit, is allowed to pass without the mildest rebuke.

“While others, out of concern for the ANC and the trajectory of our country, and without any personal profit motive, are pursued,” said Nzimande.

He pointed out that the factional application of discipline “is wrong and will simply deepen disunity while encouraging the real miscreants”.

Nzimande also suggested that the MPs targeted should be engaged outside of a disciplinary process.