By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s woes continue to mount after the African National Congress (ANC) confirmed that he would appear before the governing party’s integrity commission.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula last week said Mashatile will appear before the commission over allegations that he benefited financially from companies that received government tenders.
In the latest instalment of a series of investigations by News24, it was found Mashatile uses a swanky R28.9 million, seven-bedroom house in the luxurious suburb of Constantia, Cape Town owned by son-in-law Nceba Nonkwelo.
It was bought just three months after Mashatile moved into an R37 million home in Waterfall, Johannesburg – also paid for by Nonkwelo through another company.
Nonkwelo, through his business entities, funded the purchase of properties which would be for Mashatile’s ultimate benefit, worth an astonishing R65.9 million.
This is despite Nonkwelo owing roughly R7 million to the Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF) for a failed social housing project in Johannesburg.
Mashatile’s spokesperson, Vukani Mde, denied the deputy president was making use of the home, but it is understood a Presidential Protection Service detail is stationed outside the house around the clock.
Nonkwelo has been married to Mashatile’s daughter, Palesa, since at least 2006.
Last year Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Lebogang Maile ordered the Board of Directors of the GPF to undertake an urgent investigation into the R37 million Waterfall mansion linked to Mashatile.
Mashatile has also been implicated in the procurement of an R90 million land deal by a company which has donated millions to the ANC with claims property development company Valumax pocketed millions from the land deal with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements in November 2022.
It was also revealed that Mashatile made frequent use of multimillion-rand Cape Town mansions of state capture-linked tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi, as well as businessman Ndavhe Mareda who received substantial Eskom coal supply contracts.
Meanwhile the Democratic Alliance (DA) challenges President Cyril Ramaphosa to take urgent action over serious allegations of corruption and capture against Mashatile, who serves solely at the discretion of Ramaphosa.
In 2005, Deputy President Jacob Zuma stayed put in the party as deputy president even when President Thabo Mbeki fired him over corruption scandals on 14 June that year as his deputy in government.
Zuma subsequently resigned from his parliamentary seat. But the July 2005 ANC National General Council overturned a National Executive Committee decision that Zuma should vacate the party’s deputy presidency.