Yunus Carrim and Floyd Shivambu go tit-for-tat in open letters

Cape Town – Economic Freedom Fighters chief whip Floyd Shivambu’s latest tussle with standing committee on finance chair Yunus Carrim reached new levels when the MPs exchanged open letters over Tuesday’s meeting, during which a National Treasury official was attacked.

At a committee meeting on Tuesday Shivambu questioned National Treasury deputy director general Ismail Momoniat’s presence at all of the committee’s meetings. Carrim slammed Shivambu for questioning Momoniat’s right to identify as African, and for doubting his struggle credentials.

Shivambu said Momoniat’s presence, even at meetings where he is not required, undermines African leadership at National Treasury and implies that Momoniat sees himself as Treasury’s ultimate authority.

The standing committee on finance and National Treasury both condemned Shivambu’s attack on Momoniat, and both praised his role in the fight for constitutional democracy. In tweets Shivambu contested that Momoniat had been undermining black leadership in various roles for decades.

Shivambu has since denied mentioning Momoniat's race and demanded an apology from Carrim. On Wednesday Shivambu wrote to Carrim to question his relationship with Momoniat, and whether he accompanied the deputy director general on official international trips.

“I write to you to officially inquire if the Chairperson has any relationship with the National Treasury Deputy Director-General, Mr. Ismail Momoniat, beyond that of your position as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance?

“I write to inquire if the Chairperson has travelled with Mr. Ismail Momoniat in any of the government visit to the World Bank and/or the International Monetary Fund,” Shivambu asked.

In the letter Shivambu went on to ask who invited Carrim to any official international event Momoniat was also part of, who funded Carrim’s travel and lodging on such trips and in which capacity Carrim was invited to such trips.

Carrim responded with anger at the presuppositions in Shivambu’s letter in his own strongly worded letter, entitled “reply to your absurd letter”. He said he would respond to the questions, although he considered them as race baiting and ridiculous gossip-mongering.

“The subtext of your letter and what I hear from others you’ve said over radio, is to suggest that I’m in some sort of pally-pally, subordination-of-the-parliamentary-committee-sellout-relationship with Mr Momoniat. Maybe in cahoots with… corruption? And the subtext is that my positions on your behaviour towards him are based on some sort of ‘Indian South African Brotherhood’,” said Carrim.

Carrim denied any personal relationship with Momoniat, saying that their work together is within the narrow context of government administration (National Treasury) and government oversight (Parliament).

He said he only met Momoniat occasionally while attending international meetings and events organised by the South African Reserve Bank. He denied that any kind of collusion took place between himself and Momoniat during these unplanned, brief and scattered encounters.

Carrim then turned the tables and asked Shivambu his own set of embarrassing questions, not shying away from mentioning an incident in April where Shivambu assaulted a journalist on the precinct of Parliament.

“I do not feel there is any value in engaging with your letter further. If you do not believe me, you are free to contact comrades Frolick and Charel de Beer, and also Comrade Jackson Mthembu, to whom I refer our correspondence,” Carrim wrote.