The Democratic Alliance says it has evidence which suggests President Thabo Mbeki held a secret meeting with French arms manufacturer Thomson-CSF in 1998, when he was chairperson of the ministerial committee in charge of the arms deal.
Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday, DA public accounts spokesperson Eddie Trent told the House his party had in its possession ”an encrypted fax which suggests that President Mbeki promised Thomsons, as early as 1997, that they would be awarded the combat system contract”.
The contract referred to relates to the combat suite to be fitted into South Africa’s four new frigates, among the billions of rands of weaponry bought by the country over the past few years.
Trent said another fax ”indicates that the president held a secret meeting with executives from Thomsons in December 1998, in complete violation of tender procedures”.
”President Mbeki needs to explain why such a meeting took place. Why is there no public record of the meeting, [and] were Thomsons guaranteed the corvette contracts?” he asked.
Trent said unless Mbeki broke his silence, the public would be justified in thinking arms deal corruption extended ”far beyond [former deputy president] Jacob Zuma”.
Later on Wednesday, Deputy Speaker Gwen Mahlangu ruled Trent’s statement was out of order for suggesting the president might have been involved in improper activities with regard to the arms deal.
She told the House it was established practice for members who wanted to make allegations of improper conduct in the House about another member to do so by way of a substantive motion, including a clearly formulated charge.
”The remarks by the honourable member Trent are therefore out of order, and I would like him to withdraw,” she ordered.
Asked by Trent under which rule she was making the ruling, Mahlangu told him she was not there ”to run a workshop on rules”, and repeated her call for him to withdraw the statement.
Trent refused, saying he stood by his statement, and Mahlangu ordered him to leave the House, which he did. – Sapa