Deputy President Paul Mashatile Photo: GCIS
- Rise Mzansi laid a complaint against Paul Mashatile at the Office of the Public Protector.
- News24 revealed that Mashatile lived a life of luxury in expensive homes, owned by businesspeople who benefitted from state contracts.
- Rise Mzansi asked that Mashatile be investigated for a breach of the Executive Members’ Ethics Act.
Rise Mzansi wrote to Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka, to ask that she investigate breaches of the Executive Members’ Ethics Act by Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
This was announced on Tuesday by the fledgling party’s leader, Songezo Zibi.
On Monday morning, News24 revealed that Mashatile lived a life of luxury in expensive homes, owned by businesspeople who benefitted from state contracts.
One of Mashatile’s largest benefactors is Edwin Sodi, the politically connected businessperson currently on trial on charges of corruption and fraud linked to a R255-million Free State asbestos eradication tender, together with former Free State premier, Ace Magashule, who was recently expelled from the ANC.
“In terms of the Constitution and the Act, the deputy president may not act in any way that is inconsistent with his office, or expose himself to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between his official responsibilities and private interests; or use his position or any information entrusted to him, to enrich himself or improperly benefit any other person,” said Zibi in a statement.
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“At face value, deputy president has committed serious violations of, at least, the Constitution, his oath of office, and the Executive Members’ Ethics Act. The Act goes on further in Section 4 (1), where it states that the ‘Public Protector must investigate any alleged breach of the code of ethics on receipt of a complaint…’, and that, within 30-days of receiving a complaint of an alleged breach of the code of ethics, must submit a report to the president.”
Zibi said the South African political establishment had built a culture of zero accountability, especially when those in power are alleged to be or found to be corrupt or involved in other acts of criminality.
He said the powerful had placed themselves above the law.
“South Africans have the power to put a stop to the politics of the cheque and corruption by voting for leaders of integrity, and leaders who use their elected office to change the lives of South Africa’s 60-million people, especially those who have previously gone unheard.
“Deputy President Mashatile may wrongly and arrogantly believe that he does not need to account to the media, but he will soon find that the Public Protector does not share the same tolerance for violations of the law and basic democratic principles.”
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He said that, if it was found Mashatile had violated any laws, he must be held accountable in the same way that any other citizen would be.
“Justice and the rule of law are cornerstones of our constitutional democracy, and any actions inconsistent with those values must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
He said Rise Mzansi would not let this matter rest until it reached its natural and legal conclusion.
The Executive Members’ Ethics Act is the same legislation in terms of which complaints were laid against President Cyril Ramaphosa with regard to the Phala Phala allegations in June last year.
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