Manyi is like a Bantustan leader‚ says EFF

Former government spin doctor Mzwanele Manyi's purchase of the Gupta family media empire is nothing more than fronting‚ says the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

“We reject both the Guptas and Manyi and will continue to boycott what remains essentially Gupta media‚” said party spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

The Gupta family's Oakbay sold its shares in the media companies to Lodidox in a vendor-financed deal – meaning that it lent Lodidox the purchase price.

The structure of the deal was not about media transformation‚ said the red berets.

“To call it this is like thinking the apartheid's creating of Bantustans was a progressive liberation move for black people. Like Bantustan leaders‚ Manyi is a stooge representing the entrenchment of Gupta corruption in our county‚” charged Ndlozi in a hard-hitting statement.

“It is now public knowledge that all banks‚ locally and internationally‚ have closed Gupta accounts because of their dirty and questionable money. Therefore‚ the move is to use Manyi to legitimate their money.”

There is speculation that the deal was struck because the Bank of Baroda is closing the bank accounts of Oakbay at the end of this month.

Manyi said‚ in an interview with Power FM‚ that the deal was above board. The New Age newspaper and television news channel ANN7‚ he added‚ would operate under his watch with honesty and integrity.