The Democratic Alliance has accused minerals and energy committee chairperson Nathi Mthethwa of assisting the government to hide alleged irregularities concerning a donation to the ruling party.
”Despite Mthethwa’s capacity as chairperson, his disastrous display of logic and unprovoked attack on the DA can only create the impression that he is more interested in politics than in his constitutional role of holding the government to account,” DA MP Hendrik Schmidt said in a statement.
But Mthethwa said he was expecting this from the DA, calling the party ”predictable”.
This follows the Johannesburg High Court decision to interdict the Mail & Guardian newspaper last Thursday from running a follow-up to its ”Oilgate” report last week that oil company Imvume paid R11-million of taxpayers’ money to the African National Congress.
The newspaper had reported that state oil company PetroSA paid a R15-million advance to Imvume. PetroSA did not deposit the advance into the usual Imvume account, but into another one. Four cheques worth R11-million were then given to the ANC by Imvume’s Sandi Majali in December 2003 ahead of the April 2004 elections, the M&G said.
Imvume said donating to the ANC was ”a private affair”, while the ANC said that under a recent court ruling it does not have to discuss donations given to it.
Mthethwa said on Monday in response to Schmidt’s allegations: ”I did not say we would not speak to the various bodies, but that it would be according to the committee’s programme, which we have all adopted.”
PetroSA, as part of the Central Energy Fund, will explain itself and present its books for scrutiny, Mthethwa said. — Sapa