Shivambu says Gordhan lied to parliament about meeting Guptas

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu has suggested that Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan should face the same consequences as former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene for not revealing that he had met with the controversial Gupta brothers.

Nene handed in his resignation to President Cyril Ramaphosa following his testimony at the state capture inquiry early last month which revealed that he had lied about not meeting the Guptas.

Replying to a tweet by user @AldrinSampear who questions how “Gordhan’s non-disclosure” to parliament that he had met the Guptas is different to Nene’s, Shivambu tweets: “Actually, Pravin lied to parliament…”

The EFF leader adds that this “lie” is “in violation of [the] Executive Ethics Code, which is legislatively enforced by the Public Protector [Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane]”.

“There can’t be different standards for different folks. Never,” Shivambu says, after noting in his tweet that Nene had “lied” to a news broadcaster about meeting the Guptas.

ALSO READ: I met with the Guptas, says Gordhan in leaked statement

The user Shivambu was replying to had shared a section of Gordhan’s sworn affidavit to the commission of inquiry into state capture which was leaked to the media.

In the affidavit, Gordhan states: “I wish to refer the Commission to Annexure 27, which is my response a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance.

“It is apparent in my written response that I do not make mention of the 2010 meeting with Mr Ambani of the Reliance Group, which a Gupta brother may not have attended.

“This is simply because, at the time of submitting the written response, I had no recollection of the 2010 meeting with Mr Ambani.”

The EFF has released a strongly worded statement continuing their ongoing battle against the minister, calling him a “master manipulator” who was an “accomplice in the Guptas’ activities”.

The EFF claimed that Tiso Blackstar, the media conglomerate BusinessLive is owned by, are Gordhan’s “propagandists” who are seeking to drive a narrative absolving Gordhan of what they claim is his complicity in state capture.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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