The Democratic Alliance (DA) has escalated its push for criminal charges against Deputy President Paul Mashatile, alleging corruption and state capture spanning almost two decades. Handing over a dossier detailing these allegations to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings, the DA seeks urgent action against Mashatile, emphasizing the gravity of the accusations.

Accusing President Ramaphosa of inaction despite mounting evidence of corruption within his government, the DA asserts that Mashatile's removal from office is imperative to uphold accountability and restore public trust. The party warns of pursuing criminal charges against Mashatile if no decisive action is taken.

With South Africa's corruption perceptions hitting a record low, the DA urges citizens to register and vote in the upcoming elections for a government free from corruption. The move underscores broader concerns about endemic corruption within the ANC and the need for decisive action to address it.

In response, the Presidency rebuffs the DA's allegations, dismissing them as politically motivated. While acknowledging receipt of the dossier, the Presidency stresses the importance of “proper investigation” and verification by officail authorities (i.e., those already under ANC control) before criminal charges are pursued.

The DA’s official press release however, affirms that their motive is driven by the government’s refusal to initiate investigation in the first place:

“Given that President Ramaphosa has, to this day, failed to act against Mashatile by firing him from his executive post and subjecting him to a thorough investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), it is clear that President Ramaphosa has absolutely no will to address this scandal within his government.”

The statement affirmed that the evidence which forms the basis of the charges is already in the President’s possession, and that the state has failed to carry out lifestyle audits as promised in the 2023 State of the Nation Address.

Black nationalist accounts on X (Twitter) speculated that the move was motivated by a desire to remove a potential coalition negotiator who was hostile to a DA-ANC coalition, and more favourable to coalitions with the EFF and Zuma's new MK party.

Previous statements by Helen Zille and other members of the DA executive committee have suggested that the Ramaphosa faction within the ruling party is a part of the ANC that they can "work with", and several statements, both public and private, have confirmed conditional support for the idea of a coalition between the two parties.

The DA have not thus far pursued any investigation into the President, or a lifestyle audit of his wealth accumulation, despite the high position Ramaphosa occupied during the so-called “state capture” era.

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