Which ministers were told by Guptas about their appointments? Cope wants answers

18 February 2016 - 11:50 By TMG Digital

The Congress of the People (Cope) of Thursday asked: how many members of the executive were informed of their appointments appointed by the Gutpas? “If there are ministers sitting in the cabinet who were first made aware of their impending appointments to the cabinet by the Gupta family‚ they owe it to themselves and the nation to confess right away‚” the party’s Dennis Bloem urged.He said the National Assembly heard on Tuesday – from Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema – that Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula “was first informed by the Guptas of his appointment”.Hired-then-promptly-fired Finance Minister “Des van Rooyen is probably another one who knew via this route a month before he was appointed”‚ Bloem ventured. Mineral Resources Minister “Mosebenzi Joseph Zwane’s most unexpected appointment is likely to be linked to the Guptas also”‚ he added.“It is extraordinary that one family can have such persuasive force in our politics and on key appointments.“Cope demands that every deputy minister and every minister should publicly reveal when each first came to hear of his/her appointment and via which route.”Failure to do so‚ Bloem said‚ would make “such ministers…guilty of concealing important information so important to the welfare of our nation”.“Moreover‚ they will have been colluding with the Gupta family to corrupt the president and compromise the integrity of the cabinet‚” he demanded.“Cabinet itself should seek to find out such information and to make it public.”Bloem said the party also wanted a commission of enquiry in to the the dismissal of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene.“There is much here that needs digging to expose the very heart of darkness‚” he said...

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