Finance Minister Enoch Godonwagwana has remained tight-lipped and refused to comment after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute him for alleged sexual assault.
NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa today said the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Mpumalanga Division, Advocate Nkebe Kanyane, has declined to prosecute Godongwana.
A woman had opened a case of sexual assault against Godongwana at Skukuza police station in Mpumalanga last month.
“The decision follows a thorough assessment of all available evidence and after consultations with the complainant who expressly did not wish to proceed with the case despite being offered all the necessary support available to complainants in cases of this nature,” Nyuswa said.
“The National Prosecuting Authority remains steadfast in vigorously prosecuting sexual offence cases and gender-based violence.”
Godongwana was accused of sexually assaulting a woman who was offering massage services to guests in their rooms while he was on vacation with his wife Thandisiwe at a hotel in the Kruger National Park.
Godongwana categorically denied the allegation last month and his spokesperson Mfuneko Toyana said he would “not be commenting for now”.
The finance minister has his work cut out for him as he prepares to table his second Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement as a global recession looms, coupled with South Africa’s massive energy crisis, escalating inflation, fluctuating fuel prices and the country’s high unemployment rate.
BUSINESS REPORT