Ramaphosa ‘lied’ to SA on Bosasa ‘bribe’, says Maimane

DA leader Mmusi Maimane spoke on Friday at a protest outside the headquarters of controversial facilities management company African Global Operations, formerly Bosasa. Other prominent DA leaders, including Phumzile van Damme and Natasha Mazzone, were also present.

Maimane accused the president of having “lied to parliament and the nation about the R500,000 paid to him by the corruption-plagued company, Bosasa, last year”.

Maimane claimed: “He told us it was legitimate money earned by his son for consulting work, and that he had even seen the contract. But when the truth emerged – that the money was in fact for him and his personal election campaign – he tried to beat the media to the story by issuing a retraction and correction.”

The DA leader went on to accuse the president of having breached the Executive Ethics Act. Claims by the president and ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu that Ramaphosa’s U-turn regarding the Bosasa payment was an “innocent mistake” were not true, Maimane said.

READ MORE: Set up an investigation into yourself, Maimane tells Ramaphosa

“It has very serious implications for his presidency and cannot be made to go away by a sheepish apology,” he continued.

The DA leader then detailed how he had referred the matter to the public protector.

He has also called on Ramaphosa himself to initiate a full-scale independent inquiry into the matter, which he said should be chaired by a retired judge selected by chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

Maimane has accused Bosasa of having bribed the president in an attempt to “purchase” him.

READ MORE: Ramaphosa makes U-turn on R500K Bosasa payment

“It’s really simple: The company makes a ‘donation’ to the politician, and in return, the company is rewarded with government contracts. These contracts are usually awarded outside of the normal tender process, and often at inflated prices,” he alleged.

“It is a system of corruption that has become part of the very fabric of the ANC government. A system that we can only eradicate through a party reshuffle, and not a cabinet reshuffle.”

Maimane also went into detail regarding the corruption allegations Bosasa faces. He noted the company’s government contracts and said it “has been under investigation for large-scale fraud and corruption for more than a decade. Some reports say that over 400 criminal cases involving Bosasa have been referred to the NPA by the Special Investigation Unit.

“These include the alleged payment of bribes to prison bosses in return for huge tenders – payments arranged by the very same Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson who gave the go-ahead for Ramaphosa’s payment,” Maimane claims.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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