The allegations of Themba Maseko, the former director general of the government’s communication and information system (GCIS) concerning President Zuma and the Guptas are the first concrete proof of a corrupt relationship between Pres. Zuma and the Guptas, and the FF Plus today asked the Hawks to also investigate this, Dr. Pieter Mulder, Leader of the FF Plus said.
Mr. Maseko said in Sunday that Pres. Jacob Zuma had phoned him in 2010 shortly before the launch of the Guptas newspaper, The New Age, to ensure that he met with the Gupta brothers.
During this meeting, the Guptas allegedly asked him to channel large scale government advertisements to this newspaper. He allegedly refused and a year later he was dismissed. The report appeared in the Sunday Times on Sunday, but has in the mean time been reported freely in the media.
According to Dr. Mulder, the FF Plus had asked the Hawks that the investigation into these allegations should run concurrently with the investigation of two Gupta brothers, Ajay and Atul, as well as Mr. Duduzane Zuma, the son of President Zuma, which this unit has already started.
“Gwede Mantashe, the ANC’s secretary general, is now accusing the Guptas of a ‘state capture’ and he wants information regarding this. This issue can however not be investigated by the ANC on its own, as people within the ANC is seemingly involved. That is why the Hawks investigation is so important to bring transparency.
“It is clear to the FF Plus that the Guptas were not capable of this kind of ‘state capture’ but that they needed assistance from within government. These allegations of Mr. Maseko are therefore very important in the Hawks investigation,” Dr. Mulder says.
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