‘Confident’ Mashatile to respond to parliament’s queries next week

Deputy president Paul Mashatile will respond next week to questions received from parliament’s ethics committee on issues related to allegations of corruption against him. 

DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube lodged the complaint with parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests after revelations in News24 reports about the deputy president’s use of luxury homes owned by Mashatile’s relatives and friends. 

Several exposés have been written about Mashatile, alleging his son-in-law, Nceba Nonkwelo, benefited from state tenders and Mashatile lived in houses allegedly bought with money made from tenders.

The DA has submitted a formal complaint to parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interest that Mashatile had contravened the code of conduct by failing to disclose registrable interests or wilfully or negligently providing the registrar with incorrect or misleading details.

The party alleges Mashatile misled parliament by failing to declare his use of various properties, including a R37m Waterfall house in Gauteng. Mashatile also allegedly breached the code of conduct by failing to act in all respects in a manner that is consistent with the integrity of the office of his government. 

Mashatile told the National Assembly during a question-and-answer session on Thursday that he would respond to the questions posed by the ethics committee next week. He had been given seven days by the committee to do so. This was in response to Gwarube’s request that he respond in the house to the corruption allegations against him. 

Acting speaker Lechesa Tsenoli ruled Gwarube’s request for Mashatile to respond to allegations of corruption out of order in terms of the rules of the house, which require that allegations against a member be made by way of a substantive motion. 

Gwarube said despite Mashatile’s commitment in February to fight corruption, there were allegations of corruption hanging over his head, with the Hawks investigating him and his son-in-law regarding an almost R30m home in Constantia and the source of the funds. There were also allegations about his use of luxury homes, including one owned by Edward Sodi, a state capture accused. She asked Mashatile to give an explanation of the allegations and the source of the funds used. 

In February, DA leader John Steenhuisen laid criminal complaints against Mashatile for alleged corruption and wrongdoing. Some of the complaints related to what Steenhuisen said was “an intricate web of nepotism and family patronage of which Mashatile is allegedly the ultimate beneficiary”. 

He said the charges followed “several allegations of corruption levelled against him, which span a number of decades”.

“The most recent scandal being the purchase of a Constantia mansion by Mashatile’s son-in-law at a cost of R28.9m by his company, which still allegedly owes the Gauteng department of human settlements R7m for the failed Alexandra housing project.” 

One of the complaints related to his capacity as the Gauteng MEC for finance and economic affairs regarding the sale of a property for R15m in 2006 and its subsequent repurchase by the provincial government three years later for R80m.  

Mashatile’s spokesperson, Vukani Mde, has said Mashatile was confident he would emerge unscathed from any investigation conducted by the state or the ANC. 

ensorl@businesslive.co.za