Pretoria – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday rejected allegations he met top business leaders to discuss Cabinet appointments.
Ramaphosa was responding to media queries regarding the allegation that he met business people, including Johan Rupert, Maria Ramos, and Trevor Manuel, following the appointment of backbencher Des Van Rooyen and the subsequent appointment of Pravin Gordhan as minister of finance, the office of the deputy president said in a statement.
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“Deputy President Ramaphosa categorically denies ever having such a meeting with Johan Rupert, Trevor Manuel, and Maria Ramos or any other business persons to discuss Cabinet appointments
“The only time Deputy President Ramaphosa engaged himself with the matter of the finance ministry was during the meeting of the top six ANC officials with President Jacob Zuma on the Sunday leading to the appointment of Pravin Gordhan as the finance minister,” the statement said.
Therefore, the suggestion that Ramaphosa met Rupert, Manuel, and Ramos to reverse decisions of the president on the finance ministry was “wholly incorrect, mischievous, and misleading”.
“Accordingly, it is unfortunate that those who peddled these falsehoods did not find it within their obligation to verify the facts with the office of the deputy president before setting on publishing the story.
“It is our conviction that those who published these untruths will find it within their conviction to place correct facts at the disposal of the public,” the statement said.
African News Agency
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