Claims that African National Congress (ANC) Western Cape provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha used his influence to steer a land deal to party cronies were scurrilous and untrue, the party said on Friday.
It was reacting to an article in Friday’s Mail and Guardian, which claimed that when he was provincial minister of public works, Skwatsha intervened with provincial officials to ensure that the tender for a 2,4ha tract of land in Tamboerskloof was awarded to a particular consortium.
Nic Dawes, associate deputy editor of the M&G, on Friday said that the newspaper stands by its article. On all evidence available to the M&G, he said, it was a clear-cut case of political interference.
The M&G reported that the directors of the consortium Rowmoor Investments 490 included a former ANC employee, Fezile Calana.
The ANC Western Cape said in a statement that the M&G had smeared Skwatsha by innuendo and without offering a shred of evidence.
”In fact, the article concedes that ‘the province could not establish a case of collusion between Skwatsha and Rowmoor’,” it said.
”Not for the first time, selectively chosen, confidential government documents have obviously been leaked to the media to discredit Mr Skwatsha.”
The article contained gross untruths and Skwatsha would demand a full retraction from the M&G. — Sapa