'No JZ desert hideaway'

09 June 2017 - 08:48 By Babalo Ndenze
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South Africa's President Jacob Zuma addresses an anti-crime meeting in Elsie's River, Cape Town, South Africa May 30, 2017. Picture taken May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma addresses an anti-crime meeting in Elsie's River, Cape Town, South Africa May 30, 2017. Picture taken May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
Image: MIKE HUTCHINGS/REUTERS

President Jacob Zuma has assured his cabinet that he has no plans to move to Dubai.

This is according to Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, who told journalists yesterday that the issue surrounding the damaging leaked Gupta e-mails came up during a cabinet meeting this week in Cape Town.

Dlodlo said though Zuma touched on the e-mails issue during the two-day, fortnightly meeting, the cabinet did not dwell on the veracity of the correspondence, which appeared to show the influence of the Gupta family on government ministers.

"President Zuma has rebutted the allegation that was published by a Sunday newspaper that he owns a house in Dubai," she said.

Dlodlo said the cabinet had asked for anybody with evidence of wrongdoing on the part of its members or senior government officials to forward that information to law enforcement agencies.

"Some cases have already been opened, and the police are undertaking the necessary investigations. All who are affected by the e-mails are urged to co-operate with the law enforcement agencies," said Dlodlo.

Regarding her being personally implicated in the leaked Gupta e-mails - which revealed that the controversial family sponsored her stay at a luxury Dubai hotel in 2015 - the minister admitted that she had failed to declare the benefit to parliament, as required by the code of conduct for MPs.

But Dlodlo has denied allegations by former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor that she had accepted an offer from a French nuclear company to fly her first class to watch the French Open tennis tournament in Paris.

She said her lawyers were dealing with Mentor's allegations and she would explain herself to parliament's ethics committee following a complaint from the DA.

"On my personal benefits, on the French Open and shopping spree in Paris, I think the person that alleges has the responsibility to provide proof.

"I have handed this over to my lawyers and it's something that will have to take its course. It's already sent to the ethics committee to deal with. That person who alleges this will have to prove that it happened.

"On the other one for Dubai, that is true. I did not declare that benefit of accommodation, but the accommodation did not go with all of the other things that are alleged. But I will deal with that when I get to the ethics committee," said Dlodlo.

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