Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe welcomes the report of the Public Protector on the investigation into allegations of improper involvement of the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa in a business transaction with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The report of the Public Protector repudiates the statements made by Mr Barry Oberholzer, and published in the Sunday Times on 11 March 2012, alleging improper conduct by the Deputy President and his partner Ms Gugu Mtshali.
The Public Protector found no evidence suggesting that either Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe or his partner were involved in any business transaction with Mr Barry Oberholzer.
Mr Oberholzer, in his interview with the Office of the Public Protector, asserted that he had never met nor had any business relations with the Deputy President and his partner.
It is worth noting that the Public Protector found that there were “material differences in the words supposedly uttered by Mr Mboweni and Ms Mtshali as reflected in the transcript, when compared with the recording made by Mr Oberholzer”.
It is not clear whether Mr Oberholzer or the Sunday Times deliberately distorted the transcript in order to mislead the public about Ms Mtshali's conduct.
Deputy President Motlanthe and Ms Mtshali have always maintained that they had committed no wrongdoing and they have been vindicated by the report of the Public Protector.
For enquiries contact:
Thabo Masebe
Cell: 082 410 8087
