COPE to lay charges of corruption against Mr Zuma and the Guptas

17 March 2016 

COPE will be laying charges of corruption against Mr Zuma as well as the Guptas tomorrow morning at 08H00 at the Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria.

The statements, posted by Vytjie Mentoor on her Facebook page in recent days, alleging that she was offered a ministerial position by the Gupta family, at the family’s residence in Saxon World. The position according to the statement was hers if she would as the new Minister of Public Enterprises halted SAA from flying to India and making that route available to the Gupta family. This is a classic example of corruption. She claimed that she refused the offer because it came with strings attached. She further claimed that Mr Zuma was in the house at the same time, but that he was in an adjoining room.

More allegations surfaced on Wednesday. This time it was the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Mcebisi Jonas, who informed the public that he had met with the Gupta family at a hotel in Sandton. During that meeting he was offered the opportunity to succeed Minister Nhlanhla as Minister of Finance. Nene was removed from his position in December 2015. Jonas publicly confirmed that the meeting had taken place and that the offer was made by the Gupta family. He declined the offer.

In February 2016, the President of the Congress of the People, Mosiuoa Lekota, pointed out in the National Assembly that the office of President was occupied by a person who had admitted to breaking his oath of office. As such he was no longer permitted by the Constitution to continue in office. Nonetheless, he continued to occupy that office.

It has been reported for some time that Mr Zuma was consistently allowing his friends of foreign origin to regularly appoint members of the Cabinet. This behaviour smacks of serious violation of the Constitution and the laws of our country.

The revelations are very serious. The Congress of the People will therefore lay criminal charges against Mr Zuma and his friends the Guptas for violating the country’s laws and the Constitution. This will happen at 8H00 tomorrow at the Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria.

Issued by Dennis Bloem, Spokesperson, COPE, 17 March 2016