South
African former minister claims he doesn't know which Gupta
brother offered him millions and ministry
Former South African deputy
finance minister Mcebisi Jonas has thrown 'State Capture' hearings
into confusion by admitting he didn't know who offered him a huge
bribe and promotion.
Jonas told Deputy Chief Justice
Raymond Zondo's commission of inquiry on Friday he only recognised
the man he claimed to have met on 23 October 2015 as one of the three
Gupta brothers “from media reports.”
The commission's key witness
claimed the mystery man, who did not identify himself, offered him a
600 million Rand (£33 million) bribe and his then-boss, finance
minster Nhlanhla Nene's job – if he would help the family group
raise its share of government and parastatal enterprise contracts.
“I had not previously met any
of the Gupta brothers, but I recognised him... from media reports,”
said Jonas in his statement. “At the time, I did not know his name
as he did not introduce himself, but simply started talking to me.”
Jonas claimed that after
examining press reports about the brothers since then “I am
relatively certain that the Gupta brother at the meeting was Ajay
Gupta, but I cannot exclude the possibility that it might have been
Mr Rajesh Gupta.”
He also claimed that Duduzane
Zuma, son of former president Jacob Zuma – who ordered the Zondo
commission – drove him to the Gupta's home without telling him
where they were going, but then said nothing during the meeting.
Jonas claimed the man he thought
was Gupta said: “The old man will do anything we tell him to do”
– and assumed “the old man” was a reference to the president.
Zuma resigned in February at the
request of the ruling African National Congress national executive
committee. That followed years of allegations in the
opposition-controlled press that he was in the pocket of the Guptas,
who had challenged the existing media and mineral-energy monopolies.
Zuma was replaced by his deputy,
billionaire businessman Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa reappointed Nene
to the job Zuma fired him from in December 2015 and gave Nene's
successor Pravin Gordhan, who Zuma fired along with Jonas last March,
the Public Enterprise ministry.
Mr Gordhan is also under fire
for 'state capture'. this week his nephew Ketso Gordhan was
made CEO of the SA SME Fund. The fund, set up by Ramaphosa two
years ago, has yet to lend any of its R1.5 billion (£82 million)
capital to small businesses.
In July Ketso Gordhan's ex-wife
Roshene Singh moved from her job at the ANC's Luthuli House HQ to
become Ramaphosa's chief of staff at the Union Buildings, South
Africa's seat of government.