Maimane lease ‘scandal’ probe intensifies at DA fedex meeting

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane is currently being dragged over the coals by DA MP Mike Waters, reportedly over a scandal regarding Maimane’s rented Cape Town home. 

Sunday Times reports that some party members are now demanding to see proof that Maimane was paying his own rent. Waters allegedly demanded bank statements from Maimane, to determine how much rent he pays, an anonymous source revealed to the publication. 

This emerged at a closed party meeting of federal executives last week. 

The scandal comes amid an ongoing investigation into Maimane’s R4 million Claremont home, which he declared to parliament as his, in addition to a house in Weltevreden Park, Johannesburg, reported by City Press in September. 

This despite the Cape Town home never being in his name. The home in Claremont belongs to a shelf company in which Durban businessman Wessel Jacobs, who is a friend of Maimane’s, is its director and shareholder. 

Although initially declaring that the home belongs to Maimane, he later did an about-turn after being confronted by Rapport. He then admitted that he was renting the home, located about 13km from Parliament. His wife and children reside there, despite MPs being allocated housing complexes. 

In September, it emerged that Maimane and his family are not staying in the parliamentary village because of security concerns, the party’s spokesperson Solly Malatsi said. 

“… [H]is departure from the parliamentary residence followed a series of security risk and threats to his family here,” said Malatsi.

When Maimane was asked how much rent Jacobs charges, he declined to reveal a figure, with Malatsi saying the rental was at “market value”. 

It is reported that those in favour of supporting Maimane have defended him from Waters’ accusations, resulting in a stand-off, another anonymous source told the publication. 

The issue was raised at the party’s national management committee meeting in addition to the federal executive meeting. The federal executive reportedly cited that it was satisfied with Maimane’s explanation, and that no laws or regulations had been violated.  

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