Johannesburg – The DA has welcomed the dismissal of Caiphus Ramashua, chief financial officer (CFO) at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).
This is over his alleged role in the R118 million fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the highly controversial New York Pilot Project involving the purchase of land that did not exist.
DA deputy spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation Mergan Chetty said his party still believed that there were more senior officials and politicians who were closely connected to the political elite in the ANC who also needed to face the chop.
“The dismissal of the CFO, who supposedly believed Dirco was his own fiefdom and that he was untouchable, was largely due to the continuous pressure by the DA in insisting that the initial dismissal of the former director-general, Kgabo Mahoai, was merely a smokescreen to protect other senior officials and politicians who were entangled in this corrupt deal.
“The department had paid R118 million to the Simeke Group/JV Regiments Capital joint venture, who incidentally did not tender for the project.
’’Minister Naledi Pandor had been very reluctant to take the portfolio committee into her confidence regarding the issues surrounding the investigations around the corrupt officials and politicians. Yet it was the oversight visit to New York by MPs that resulted in exposing the R118 million corruption scandal,” Chetty said.
She said the DA still demands in the wake of the CFO’s dismissal that President Cyril Ramaphosa recalls and suspends both Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane — under whose watch this New York Pilot Project was initiated and for failing to exercise her executive oversight — and ambassador Jerry Matjila, who was the director-general during that period.
“We will write to the President in this regard,” Chetty said.
Political Bureau