South Africa’s main opposition Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane has lashed out at President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of accepting a “bribe” from a company and was there all along when the country was being looted by the Guptas under his predecessor Jacob Zuma.
Addressing the DA’ s “Phetogo” final election campaign rally in his Soweto neighbourhood of Dobsonville on Saturday, Maimane said he was angry at the president for his role as part of the Zuma regime which oversaw state capture another term for high level corruption in South Africa.
“I am angry that the very people who were elected to lead us ended up stealing from us. And what’s most offensive is that they stole from the poor,” Maimane said.
He added: “And now they (ruling African National Congress party) have elected a leader (Ramaphosa) who wants you to believe he has just arrived in time to save us. And yet he was there all along.”
He said Ramaphosa pretended to be “shocked at everything (wrong) he sees” and yet he was there as Zuma’s deputy president when the state was being looted.
“He was there when Zuma and the Guptas were protected in vote after vote after vote in parliament. His name is recorded in these votes as one of those who betrayed us,” Maimane said.
“This is a man who took a bribe from Bosasa, and allowed his son to take their money too,” Maimane charged, in apparent reference to the president’s admission to taking money from the company as part of his campaign to win the ANC’s party leadership.
The funds were delivered to the campaign through the president’s son.
South Africa heads to the polls on 8 May to elect a president and members of parliament.
NM/as/APA