REUTERS reported that the Hawks threatened to exercise their "constitutional powers" after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan failed to meet a second deadline to answer its questions.
"The minister, for whatever reasons, has failed to meet the second deadline for answering questions and our legal team are forging a way forward which will see the Hawks exercising our constitutional powers," the ostensibly independent crime-busting unit said, using typically questionable syntax. "The investigations will not be stalled by an individual who refuses to comply with the authorities and demand a preferential treatment."
That’s reassuring to hear, especially since it appears increasingly likely that President Jacob Zuma will eventually get his "time in court" after all. If not to answer reinstated corruption charges, perhaps the Hawks could act on the basis of Tuesday’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that the government acted unlawfully when it defied a court order and allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to leave the country last year.
Et tu, Vytjie Mentor?
FORMER African National Congress MP Vytjie Mentor has alleged the Guptas once offered her the position of public enterprises minister in return for certain favours. In light of this "serious allegation", the Democratic Alliance (DA) is urging the chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises — a position previously held by Mentor — to summon the Gupta brothers to appear before the committee to answer questions over their alleged "capture of state entities".
Interestingly, the DA announcement came on the Ides of March, March 15, the day Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. All hail, Caesar — or should that be Gupta?
More importantly, do we have a Mark Antony in the house?
Donald’s mane trumped
FORMER Rapport editor Liza Albrecht wondered wistfully which musician would perform at the inauguration if Donald Trump were to become US president. Among the suggestions were Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Hofmeyr and Sunet Bridges.
The Insider’s nomination is Justin Bieber. It would send a message of sorts to white, English-speaking Canadians, but more crucially, they have similar hairstyles.
• Do you have juicy gossip from the world of business or politics? Or just a quirky or funny story to tell? Send your scurrilous scuttlebutt to The Insider at [email protected] and it may just be published in Business Day and BDlive
Jacob Zuma. Picture: GCIS
REUTERS reported that the Hawks threatened to exercise their "constitutional powers" after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan failed to meet a second deadline to answer its questions.
"The minister, for whatever reasons, has failed to meet the second deadline for answering questions and our legal team are forging a way forward which will see the Hawks exercising our constitutional powers," the ostensibly independent crime-busting unit said, using typically questionable syntax. "The investigations will not be stalled by an individual who refuses to comply with the authorities and demand a preferential treatment."
That’s reassuring to hear, especially since it appears increasingly likely that President Jacob Zuma will eventually get his "time in court" after all. If not to answer reinstated corruption charges, perhaps the Hawks could act on the basis of Tuesday’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that the government acted unlawfully when it defied a court order and allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to leave the country last year.
Et tu, Vytjie Mentor?
FORMER African National Congress MP Vytjie Mentor has alleged the Guptas once offered her the position of public enterprises minister in return for certain favours. In light of this "serious allegation", the Democratic Alliance (DA) is urging the chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises — a position previously held by Mentor — to summon the Gupta brothers to appear before the committee to answer questions over their alleged "capture of state entities".
Interestingly, the DA announcement came on the Ides of March, March 15, the day Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. All hail, Caesar — or should that be Gupta?
More importantly, do we have a Mark Antony in the house?
Donald’s mane trumped
FORMER Rapport editor Liza Albrecht wondered wistfully which musician would perform at the inauguration if Donald Trump were to become US president. Among the suggestions were Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Hofmeyr and Sunet Bridges.
The Insider’s nomination is Justin Bieber. It would send a message of sorts to white, English-speaking Canadians, but more crucially, they have similar hairstyles.
• Do you have juicy gossip from the world of business or politics? Or just a quirky or funny story to tell? Send your scurrilous scuttlebutt to The Insider at [email protected] and it may just be published in Business Day and BDlive
