Another minister comes forward over alleged Gupta meeting
Cabinet minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi claims he was also invited to the Gupta family home, Reuters reported on Thursday.
“We did receive an invite as soon as the minister was appointed but he told them he was not taking any invites because his focus was to resolve the platinum strike,” Ramathlodi’s aide Mahlodi Muofhe told Reuters.
Ramatlhodi is currently Public Works and Administration Minister, but his spokesperson said that he was invited to an engagement by the Gupta family, shortly after he was appointed to his previous post as Mineral Resources Minister.
Ramathlodi told Reuters that the influence of the Gupta family would be a very serious issue to be discussed at a meeting of the ruling African National Congress this weekend.
On Wednesday, Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas confirmed that the Gupta family offered him the role of Finance Minister – an offer which he said he outright rejected.
During the week, former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor posted a statement on social site Facebook, claiming that she too had met with the Guptas, where they offered her a position as minister of public enterprises, on condition that she drop the SAA flight-route to India and give to them.
Mentor claimed that president Zuma was in the other room when she met with the family in Saxonwold – however, the presidency released a statement saying that it had no knowledge of who Mentor is.
Speaking to Talk Radio 702 on Thursday, former ANC MP, Barbara Hogan, corroborated Mentor’s claims, saying that she was put under pressure to meet with (Gupta-owned) Jet Airways – but had refused.
The Gupta family has responded to revelations made by deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas that they offered him the job as finance minister, flat-out denying such an event ever happened.
A spokesperson for the family, who are believed to be close friends of president Jacob Zuma, also deny the claims made by Mentor.
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