The Democratic Alliance (DA) says a donation from former Steinhoff executive Markus Jooste was made to the party before the company was implicated in a scandal. Party leader Mmusi Maimane has taken to social media to refute allegations that he drove around in a white Toyota Fortuner that Jooste had “donated.”
The smear campaign continues. These are gutless individuals who will not be named and instead spread lies about me and my family.
I have always sought to build a South Africa for All.
I remain committed to that vision, regardless of how uncomfortable it may make others feel.
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) September 29, 2019
The Rapport newspaper has revealed that Maimane continued using the vehicle, despite being cautioned by party colleagues about potential reputational damage to the DA, after the accounting scandal engulfed Steinhoff in December 2017.
DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi says the vehicle was returned when the Steinhoff saga emerged.
“Once the revelations regarding Steinhoff came to the fore, the party at the leadership level had a discussion regarding that donation and rightfully resolved that, in light of those revelations, it would be appropriate to return the car to Steinhoff; which is what happened.”
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Political analyst Dirk Kotze says the matter has serious implications for Maimane and the DA.
“It also has implications on the matter that he wants to take to court regarding President Ramaphosa and the R3 million that was donated to the ANC in 2014 by BOSASA. The fact that this has now been revealed in public is certainly undermining the authority or the claim that the DA, unlike the ANC, has not been implicated in questionable association.”
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