The Hawks have denied that they are investigating three ministers and the Gupta family over “State capture”.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, said yesterday the national Hawks head, Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza, distanced the unit from these “baseless reports”.
“Lieutenant General Ntlemeza wishes to categorically distance the DPCI from these baseless and malicious reports, which are designed and clearly aimed at casting denunciations on the three Ministers - Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown, Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies and Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,” Mulaudzi said.
This comes after former African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament, Vytjie Mentor, filed corruption-related charges three weeks after the ANC closed its investigation into the family’s influence on the state.
The Sunday Times over the weekend reported that Mentor, who snubbed the ANC investigation, joined the chorus calling the probe led by ANC secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, “a whitewash and a waste of time”.
There have been various allegations of “State capture” and that the controversial Gupta family allegedly exerted enormous influence over government to its benefit through close ties to the president and his family.
Mulaudzi confirmed the Hawks Anti-Corruption Unit received Mentor’s affidavit.
“In the said statement, though, there is no mention of the three ministers,” Mulaudzi said.
“There is no case docket opened as the investigations into the inquiry are still ongoing.”