Source: Government of South Africa
Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has dismissed any links between President Cyril Ramaphosa and corruption accused, Hangwani Maumela.
This after a video showing the President with popular DJ, Tbo Touch, and Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Jomo Sibiya outside Maumela’s house surfaced on social media.
“It is well known that President Ramaphosa loves to walk whenever he finds time, that is how he keeps himself fit. On this day, he had invited Mr. Sibiya on a walk, which it’s something he does regularly to invite his staff, even Ministers for walks.
“They passed a house which is now well known as Maumela’s house. As they were passing this house, they were stopped by Tbo Touch, who was in the company of his mentor and friend, Bishop Noel Jones. They took pictures and recorded a video. During the walk, the President had stopped and spoke to several people along the way, including taking pictures with those people.
“Indeed, where you see them is in front of Maumela’s house, but they were not visiting the house or coming out of the house. It so happened that Tbo Touch stopped his car to greet the President as he was walking past what is now well known as Maumela’s house. The President did not even know whose house it was,” Magwenya said on Monday.
Maumela’s house – which was the site of a Special Investigating Unit raid related to the Tembisa Hospital looting scandal – is not far from the President’s Hyde Park home and is in a street “he would use when driving to and from Sandton”.
“As the President’s Office, we have gone further to obtain confirmation from Dj Tbo Touch that the video and picture was his original post. He was coming from the airport going to the Saxon Hotel with Bishop Noel Jones. At the time, what we now know as Maumela’s house was under construction.
“The President had no knowledge of whose house it was. Therefore, we reject the suggestion that the President may have been visiting Maumela’s house as being very far from the truth,” he said.
Magwenya further dismissed claims that the President “visits Maumela’s house every week” as a fabrication.
“It’s a complete lie that the President visits Maumela’s house or anybody every week. With his extremely busy schedule, there are four categories of people that can say they see the President every week. His family, his security detail, his Union Buildings staff, in particular, Private Office staff and ANC [African National Congress] officials that he meets every Monday.
“There are two homes that are visited by the President whenever he finds a gap, but not every week. His sister, who resides in Soweto, and the home of his long-time comrade and mine workers union friend, Mr. James Motlatsi. There’s no other household that can claim to be visited by the President every week. It is practically impossible with his work schedule,” he said.
Turning to allegations of a personal relationship between President Ramaphosa and Maumela, Magwenya maintained that no such exists with no relations “except that he was once married to Maumela’s aunt”.
“We note the ongoing desperate media attempts to link the President to this gentleman.
“Just before the President was appointed Deputy President, he gathered his immediate family and relatives and sternly instructed all of them to either exit or stop any business that they did or intended to do with the Government or State institutions. Maumela was not part of that family gathering.
“He couldn’t have been part of the meeting because he is not part of the President’s immediate family. It is for this reason that we’re going to consistently reject the narrative that seeks to link his existence and whatever else he is involved in, to the President,” Magwenya said.
The spokesperson pointed out that it was President Ramaphosa who signed the proclamation for the Special Investigating Unit to investigate the Tembisa Hospital scandal which “lifted the lid on the extent of the corruption and criminality in and around” hospital.
“In this regard, the President calls on all law enforcement agencies to accelerate their criminal investigations into the Tembisa Hospital matter in order to expedite the arrest of all those involved without fear or favour and regardless of who they are or purported to be related to,” Magwenya concluded. – SAnews.gov.za