- Greater Tshwane Sanco regional chair says nothing prohibits him from doing business with the state because he is not employed by it.
- Abram Mashishi says reports linking him to alleged corruption are not new.
- According to a report, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is heard saying in a recorded meeting about tenders that "our people should be satisfied... and looked after".
- Lesufi rejected the news report.
SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) Greater Tshwane regional chairperson Abram Mashishi has said he hopes reports that he was part of a meeting in which tenders were reportedly discussed with Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi will not disqualify him from doing business with government in future.
On Monday, Mashishi released a statement saying he noted a report of a "secret tender meeting" where tenders were purportedly discussed and claiming that he had been the "point man" in the provincial education department.
On Sunday, City Press reported that Lesufi had been heard in a recording of a meeting with his team where his department's tenders were discussed.
According to the report, the MEC said "our people should be satisfied… and looked after", referring to the awarding of tenders. He also said when tenders were advertised, there should be communication about it among his people.
In a statement rejecting the reports on Sunday, Lesufi, who is also ANC deputy chairperson in Gauteng, said he was fully aware "there are forces at play who want to assassinate my character for political expediency".
In his statement, Mashishi "vehemently" denied the report, stating he and businesses of which he is a director had not done work for the Department of Education.
"With that being said, I would also like to state that I am an entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in business. I am currently not an employee of the state, so nothing prohibits me from doing business with government.
"With that being said, I hope this does not demerit me from doing any future business with government," he said.
He added that attempts to "tarnish" his name and that of Sanco were not new.
Mashishi said it would be strange for him to respond to the many accusations levelled against him by his detractors who have openly been trying to ensure his "politics" was associated with corruption.
Mashishi said:
He added that he would continue engaging stakeholders for the benefit of communities, and where there were service delivery issues he would speak to councillors directly.
Mashishi also said he would speak to government officials when there were business opportunities to ensure they were equally and fairly distributed.
"I do this not because I want to channel business to people but because I lead an organisation that is the vanguard of social transformation and deals with bread and butter issues. I will not stop engaging with people who can assist in the cause of the organisation I lead.
"Finally, I'd like to commend Mr Lesufi for all the work he continues to do in his department. Gauteng boasts world-class classrooms and many other understated achievements. Where there's a discord, I will, through my official position, make sure that he's taken to task. I will continue to hold him to account," he said.
The EFF called for Lesufi's removal "for brazenly plotting patronage and the robbery of the basic education sector in Gauteng in a time of global economic crisis", News24 reported.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Educators' Union of South Africa (EUSA) said if Lesufi believes he is innocent, he should recuse himself and allow an investigation to take place.
The union said there should be no interference in the investigation.
"This matter is not given the same attention as the asbestos matter involving ANC SG (secretary-general Ace Magashule) or the case of (former Gauteng health MEC) Bandile Masuku and (Presidential spokesperson) Khusela Diko. We note the selectiveness of government in attending to issues of corruption," EUSA said.
"We call for an investigation into this and other accusations of corruption within the Department of Basic Education," EUSA said.