Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reportedly defended himself against allegations of corruption implicating him and his family.
These accusations have surfaced following a News24 report indicating that his son, Thabiso, and son-in-law Nceba Nokwelo are involved as directors of a company that has officially registered a lavish R37 million mansion, which happens to be Mashatile’s place of residence.
The house is on a 99-year lease under Legacy Properties, directed by his son and son-in-law.
Furthermore, there are claims that Nonkwelo Investments, associated with Mashatile’s son-in-law, received loans from the Gauteng Partnership Fund during Mashatile’s time as the human settlements MEC.
These loans were intended for a student accommodation project that was allegedly never completed.
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Mashatile, however, has denied the allegations, saying that no malfeasance occurred during his tenure, IOL reported.
He pointed out his long history in government and his involvement in various projects, asserting that no corrupt activities had been reported in relation to his work.
“I was MEC for Housing, police transport, you name it. In national government, I was the Minister of Arts and Culture. I have done big projects together with Tokyo (Sexwale) who began Gautrain as well as Mbhazima Shilowa. I ran and adjudicated a R26 billion project. There was no corruption. You can go and look at all the projects I did. No corrupt activities were reported,” the report quoted Mashatile as saying.
He added: “I can’t stop people from writing about me. Where I live has never been a secret. People know where I live. It’s out there. Everything I have led in government is audited. If you want to know if corruption has taken place, you go to audits.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
