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By Citizen Reporter

Journalist

4 minute read

28 Mar 2019

06:57 pm

EFF says they’re not scared of ‘umbrella assaulter’ Trevor Manuel

The former finance minister earlier labelled the EFF 'bullies' and 'racists', but they have claimed he's actually the bully.

Former finance minister Trevor Manuel. Picture: Refilwe Modise

Continuing their assault on the appointment of Edward Kieswetter as SA Revenue Service commissioner, EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has hit back at former finance minister Trevor Manuel for calling his party’s leadership “racists and bullies”.

Manuel said in a statement today that “the EFF yesterday, in the name of [party spokesperson] Mbuyseni Ndlozi, issued a statement that is as false as it is racist and libellous, against the appointment by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa of Mr Edward Kieswetter, the incoming commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

“Whilst they are free to hold their warped political views about a Sars commissioner for whatever reason, they have no right to libellous or racist views. I am sure that other individuals named in the EFF statement are quite capable of speaking for themselves. I am not intimidated by these bullies to speak on my own behalf,” said Manuel, whose statement was issued by National Treasury.

“Mr Ndlozi needs to provide evidence for the three claims he makes about me,” he said, expressing his scorn that he was supposedly related to Kieswetter.

“Only a mind warped into destruction by apartheid can ever suggest blood ties between two individuals classified Coloured by the apartheid regime, when the only connective tissue is racial classification. The onus now rests on Mr Ndlozi to prove the ties exist.

“Secondly, he claims that I have business relations with Mr Kieswetter. He now has to explain how, through which agency and when these ties were established.

“I can direct him to the CIPC database, where I am sure he will find nothing. The truth of the matter is that Edward and I have not even served on the same non-profit organisation. He has made the claim and the obligation to explain is now in his court.

“Thirdly, he has claimed that I, as minister of finance at the time,  appointed Mr Kieswetter as the Sars deputy commissioner. If he had read the Sars Act or the Nugent Commission report, he might know that the minister of finance possesses no such powers. He has to retract this forthwith.”

The former minister finished with accused Ndlozi of issuing “a series of scurrilous statements about Mr Kieswetter, that I am sure Mr Kieswetter can as easily refute. What I demand is a retraction, or Mr Ndlozi will have to face legal action. I will not be abused by schoolyard bullies.”

Ndlozi responded on Thursday evening by claiming it was Manuel who was in fact the bully.

He claimed Manuel was a “well-known bully” who’d once allegedly assaulted journalists with an umbrella.

“We dare him to go to court,” and again demanded to know why the job interviews for the top job at Sars had not been held in public.

The EFF’s statement on Wednesday had slammed the process that led to the appointment of Kieswetter as “patently nepotistic” and “corrupt”.

The party had previously objected to the “secret” nature of the appointment process, questioning this in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa and in questions directed at him and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni in parliament.

The EFF’s objections followed Mboweni’s appointment of a panel chaired by Manuel, tasked with recommending a new Sars commissioner following Ramaphosa’s sacking of Tom Moyane, who the EFF’s chairperson Advocate Dali Mpofu worked to defend.

The statement went on to brand Kieswetter a “dodgy character” whom they alleged was related to Manuel and was a “close business associate and companion” of his.

READ MORE: Sars ‘rogue unit’ did important work, says ex-employee

They went on to attempt to link Kieswetter to widely discredited allegations concerning an “illegal intelligence unit” established at Sars, the so-called rogue unit.

The party would be exploring legal options in a bid to “invalidate” Kieswetter’s appointment, they said. They want the appointment process “reopened” and subjected to “public scrutiny”.

READ MORE: Shivambu lashes out at Gordhan in paranoid blog post

Their statement ended with a warning that Ramaphosa and Mboweni must not get “arrogant” and ignore the EFF’s “logical demands”, or engage in “activities that led to the downfall of [former president] Jacob Zuma”.

(Compiled by Charles Cilliers)

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Dr Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi Edward Kieswetter Mbuyiseni Ndlozi South African Revenue Service (SARS) Trevor Manuel

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