Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has called for a judicial inquiry into Bosasa and its dealings with the African National Congress (ANC).
Maimane was briefing the media following the party’s Federal Executive meeting in Johannesburg. The party says the Bosasa matter will form part of the questions forwarded to President Cyril Ramaphosa for the scheduled oral questions session in Parliament this Thursday.
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found that President Ramaphosa had deliberately misled Parliament when he answered a question about a campaign donation from Gavin Watson, the CEO of African Global Operations, formerly Bosasa.
Maimane says the inquiry should look into the entire ANC’s dealings with Bosasa,”The question really that speaks to my specific engagement with the President on Thursday, will really look at this inquiry into Bosasa, a judicial inquiry which is the initial question I’ve ask him whether there will be a judicial inquiry into Bosasa to look at its own dealings with the ANC. Whether the President feels that we should just leave the matter as it is. I think to me it would be a dereliction of duty, we’ve always called to make sure there must be accountability and I think we must, if we are serious about cleaning out corruption in government, we must deal with everybody from the President all the way down.”
On the National Health Insurance (NHI) issue, the DA has once again expressed its view that the Bill is deeply problematic and that it rejects the proposed law.
The Bill was tabled in Parliament last week. Maimane says the Bill is a deliberate attempt to nationalise healthcare and that they have raised their concerns with Parliament regarding its constitutionality.
“If you undermine the role of provinces you are going to cripple the national health system and therefore we will continue to fight them and we are contesting the constitutionality of the Bill and that’s why I’ve written to Parliament and request them to clarify whether the Bill in its current form will meet the constitutional master and that in fact citizens will be guaranteed quality healthcare through provinces.”
