Presidency tight lipped over Pule
The South African presidency says it has taken note of the allegations made against current communications minister, Dina Pule, and will only comment following her appearance in a Parliamentary hearing later this week.
Parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests appointed a nine-member panel in March to investigate whether Pule declared her relationship with businessman Phosane Mngqibisa to Parliament, and whether he made any financial gains through the alleged romance.
Mngqibisa earned millions from co-ordinating the 2012 ICT Indaba, organised by Pule’s department.
It was reported the panel was appointed after the Democratic Alliance laid a complaint and asked the committee to probe Pule’s alleged romantic links to Mngqibisa.
The parliamentary hearing for minister Pule had been scheduled for last week; however, that has since been delayed to “early May”.
Presidential Spokesperson, Mac Maharaj told BusinessTech in a telephone interview:
“We are taking note of this (Parliamentary enquiry). We need to allow those processes to take place.”
Pule said in a press briefing on 22 April 2013, that a recent series of damaging reports published in the Sunday Times over the last 10 months are part of a “sophisticated plot” to blackmail her.
The reason for the blackmail, Pule alleged, is the multi-billion Rand tender “and related issues” for the set-top boxes needed for South Africa’s migration from analogue to digital television.
According to Pule, the intention was to force her to make decisions that favour the interests of certain powerful people and organisations.
Pule has also rejected claims that she is romantically linked to Mngqibisa. In a recent radio interview, the minister said:
“I know him as a comrade, but I have nothing to do with him, and I am surprised that the Sunday Times wants me to take responsibility for activities of people that are happening outside, private people that I don’t know, and I have to say I know him. And they don’t bring a shred of evidence.”
City Press on Sunday (28 April) reported that soccer boss Jomo Sono is at the centre of the alleged blackmail campaign against Pule.
The newspaper alleged Sono’s company, Jomo Sono Investments, was one of 36 companies in the running for a R2.5 billion tender to be awarded by Pule’s department.
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