Maimane gives Ramaphosa deadline to confirm he won't use state resources to fight Bosasa claims

President Cyril Ramaphosa has until Friday to respond to DA leader Mmusi Maimane's letter in which he asked the president to pay his own legal costs for his Bosasa court case.

Maimane said the alleged R500,000 donation for Ramaphosa's CR17 presidential campaign was made to him as a private citizen and not as the deputy president of South Africa.

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In a letter to the president, Maimane said he wanted an "unequivocal undertaking" that he would not use the services of the state attorney or cause the state attorney to pay legal practitioners on his behalf.

"I would request that you revert to me with this undertaking no later than 16h00 on Friday 5 July 2019," Maimane added.

Maimane has, since November last year, been one of those at the forefront of calls for public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to look into reports that Ramaphosa, like his son, Andile, had been involved in murky dealings with Gavin Watson. Watson is the CEO at African Global Operations, formerly Bosasa.

He added that Ramaphosa paying his own legal fees would prove he was different to his predecessor, former president Jacob Zuma.