Michelle Pietersen
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma’s spokesman, Mac Maharaj, may face a probe by the public protector into allegations that he received secret payments from French weapons manufacturer Thales, while opposition parties have called on the president to suspend him.
The DA said it would ask Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to investigate allegations published in the Sunday Times that secret payments amounting to 1.2 million French francs (R3.2m) were paid into offshore bank accounts in the name of his wife Zarina.
The newspaper said it had evidence the payments were channelled via Minderley Investments, a company owned by Zuma’s former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, eight weeks before a R256m tender for credit card driving licences was awarded to the Prodiba consortium, in which Thales had a 33.3 percent stake.
The payments were allegedly made between 1997 and 1999, when Maharaj was Minister of Transport. The Sunday Times said at the time Shaik – who was later convicted of fraud – was a director of Thales.
The paper said it was in possession of a secret “consultant” agreement that revealed Shaik would be paid a 1.2m French francs fee to negotiate the driving licence contract. The deal was dated July 5, 1996 – two months before Maharaj’s department awarded the tender.
While Maharaj did not respond to repeated calls, he was asked by Justice Malala on the Justice Factor on eNews yesterday whether he had received a bribe and whether he was aware of his wife’s offshore bank account.
A visibly angry Maharaj responded: “(I’m) not prepared to answer questions, I’m not prepared to answer questions – even if your name is Justice.”
He had earlier said in a written response to the Sunday Times the now disbanded Scorpions had investigated him and his wife, but had not launched any prosecution.
“The fact that the Scorpions did not bring any charges against either of us should make you alive to the fact that the reported insinuations and allegations of unlawful conduct by us implied in your questions may once again result in, and subject us to, character assassination and trial by media, consciously making use of selective information only,” Maharaj said.
The Sunday Times said it believed the Scorpions’s 2007 probe into Maharaj was torpedoed because they were unable to obtain the “consultancy” agreement, which had never before been published.
Stuart Farrow, the DA’s spokesman on transport, said he would ask the public protector to investigate the allegations and called on Zuma to suspend Maharaj without delay.
ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe echoed Farrow’s statements, adding that Zuma “must act swiftly” by investigating the “very serious” claims against “the face of the president”.
Maharaj, Zuma’s special envoy, who was appointed presidential spokesman earlier this year, has made headlines since Friday when the Mail & Guardian had to retract an article relating to his links with Thales in the face of threats from Maharaj’s lawyers.
Maharaj has since asked the police to investigate “possible theft” charges against the newspaper and its two investigative journalists, Sam Sole and Stefaans Brummer.
The article dealt with information obtained by the Scorpions in terms of section 28 of the National Prosecuting Authority Act. Such information is obtained without a lawyer present and is not admissible as evidence in court, as it could be deemed to be obtained under duress. It may not be published – on pain of a possible 15 years in jail – without the permission of the national prosecutions chief.
Maharaj believes the information was obtained illegally.
Mail & Guardian editor Nic Dawes said the newspaper had asked national Director of Public Prosecutions Menzi Simelane for permission to publish, as the information was in the public interest.
Simelane’s spokesman could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) yesterday said it was “deeply concerned at the threat that the newspaper and members of its staff may be prosecuted for trying to report truthfully about affairs in South Africa”.
“Sanef is concerned that the testimony by Maharaj, who, as the spokesman for President Jacob Zuma, is at the heart of government, should be kept secret and joins the Mail & Guardian in requesting Menzi Simelane to release the record immediately.
“Information about Maharaj’s testimony and conduct, given his high profile role in government and his former role as minister of transport is of major public interest.”
Hennie van Vuuren, of the Institute for Security Studies, said it was “deeply worrisome” that Maharaj had decided to lay criminal charges. He said it was an indication of what the future might hold if the Protection of State Information Bill became law.