Maseko calls Zuma a liar
FORMER GCIS chief executive Themba Maseko believes former president Jacob Zuma lied when he testified about the events that led to his axing from the government organisation eight years ago.
Maseko returned to the inquiry yesterday, where he gave details of how he was removed from GCIS because he would not assist the Gupta family to access government advertising spend.
Last year, he told the commission that he had been approached by Ajay Gupta, who shared his newspaper’s (The New Age) interest in accessing advertising spend, which stood at R600 million. He said he fought off attempts and had gone as far as calling Zuma before his meeting with the Guptas. According to Maseko, Zuma indicated that he needed to help the controversial family.
Maseko also testified that former minister in the presidency Collins Chabane approached him in January 2011, and informed him that Zuma wanted him out. He said Chabane felt bad and promised that he would not hang him out to dry.
When Zuma appeared at the inquiry in July this year, he denied instructing Chabane to dismiss Maseko.
He alluded to the fact that there may have been a troubled relationship between Maseko and Chabane, possibly leading to him being removed.
“What the former president said in his evidence was untrue. There was never an issue between myself and Chabane. We had a very solid relationship and the way he conveyed the message to me indicated that he was shocked by the turn of events,” said Maseko.
Zuma had also told the inquiry that the decision to remove Maseko had been discussed in a Cabinet meeting in February. Evidence leader for the commission, advocate Kate Hofmeyr, said through the commission’s investigation, the Presidency had supplied it with a Cabinet memo from the February 2 meeting.
Hofmeyr said the memorandum showed that the issue of removing
Maseko was never discussed.
“At the February 2, 2011, Cabinet meeting I was present; an announcement was made by Chabane and there was no discussion, and it was done at the end of the meeting, as Zuma requested that Chabane make an announcement.”
The former spin doctor was removed from the department and seconded to the department of public administration. The commission also heard evidence from former GCIS head Mzwanele Manyi. Manyi replaced Maseko as the head of GCIS in 2011.
He was accused of doing the Guptas’ bidding by channelling advertising spend to TNA. Manyi bought TNA from the Guptas and ran it briefly before it was shut down.
At the start of his testimony, Manyi appeared to chastise the commission, stating that he “felt ambushed”.
He later told the inquiry that there were no irregularities during his time as head of GCIS. He also denied bullying people to support TNA’s business breakfasts. Manyi will continue his testimony today.