Mashatile was grilled in parliament over his links to businesspeople who have benefited from government contracts.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says he will not stop associating with his rich friends simply because there could be some conflict of interest.
Mashatile was responding to oral questions in parliament on Thursday.
“There are many people I know in this country, some of them have been my friends for more than 20, 30 years. When I went into politics, they went into business, so you are saying to me, please do not see them anymore, do not associate with them because they are in business.
“Nobody is saying you are giving them business, you are saying do not associate with them because they are in business now. Some of them were in jail with me, they were in the struggle with me, they are in business today, I am in politics. They remain my friends, and they will remain my friends,” he said.
‘I will not walk away from my friends’
Mashatile said he would never use his powers as deputy president to score government tenders for his friends. This is despite reports that some of his friends have benefited from lucrative government contracts.
“That I will never do because I have never done that, but I will not walk away from my friends because they are in business or they are in a church or they are in politics. We remain friends and let them succeed in business, not because of me but on their own.
“I will not do anything that is against the rules and interfere with procurement for the benefit of my friends that I will not do… let’s not say to people abandon your friends because they are now successful business people, it’s never done,” he said.
DA MP Bax Nodada told Mashatile that he found it problematic that he showed up at this year’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) with Moses Tembe, a businessman who had benefited from a National Lottery contract worth billions. A News24 investigation found that this tender is riddled with indirect connections to Mashatile.
He further questioned Mashatile on his luxurious lifestyle, which he described as being beyond a deputy president’s salary.
Mashatile defends relationships with businesspeople
But Mashatile continued to say that many of the people that he had invited as his guests to the Sona are people he has known for decades.
“Some of them, before they became businesspeople, before they became wealthy, if they are, I do not recall any of them doing any irregular business or being criminals. If they are criminals, they are being criminalised by Honourable Nodada.
“You are saying Mr Tembe is a criminal because he won a tender. I do not know him to be a criminal, but if you think so, you can go to any nearest police station and open a case. If you know anybody around me, including my children – that they are criminals – go to the nearest police station and open a case.”
Attitude towards rich black people
Mashatile accused the DA of having a problem when black people become wealthy.
“When black people become wealthy, you say, ‘Oh yes, they must have stolen somewhere, they must have gotten a tender somewhere irregularly’. It’s even more shameful if it’s said by a black man like yourself (Nodada).
“I think we should respect the fact that black people are allowed to do business, like everybody else,” he said.
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