Deputy-Minister Sifiso Buthelezi needs to clarify exactly what is going on at the PIC

14 September 2017

The Deputy-Minister of Finance, Sifiso Buthelezi, suggests there is “no truth” to the claim that there is an attempt to remove Dr Dan Matjila, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), at a special board meeting on Friday 15 September 2017.

However, reports  claim that:

- the Deputy Chairperson of the PIC, Xolani Mkwanazi, has written to the Dr Dan Matjila requesting him to respond to allegations concerning the funding of a project linked to a partner at a special board meeting tomorrow; and

- that the allegations are an attempt to remove Dr Dan Matjila from his position in order to crowbar a person, such as Brian Molefe, into the top job at the PIC.

The PIC’s board has a duty to deal with bona fide allegations of corruption but these allegations appear to amount to a “political hit”, not dissimilar to previous “political hits”, contained in the “Project Spider Web” dossier, which appears to have been designed to advance the interests of President Jacob Zuma, and his clients, the Guptas.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Sifiso Buthelezi, who is also the Chairperson of the PIC, needs to act to protect the integrity of the institution, and to protect the savings of pensioners, by making a public statement clarifying exactly what is going on at the PIC.

We cannot sit back and allow President Jacob Zuma, and his number one clients, the Guptas, to get their hands on the R1.8 trillion under the management of the PIC.

Issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 14 September 2017