Marais 'sick of allegations'
2003-01-21 19:48
Cape Town - Former Western Cape premier, and one-time Cape Town mayor, Peter Marais said on Tuesday he was sick of government agencies being used to implicate him in wrong-doing.
"The monotonous regularity in which government agencies are used to try and implicate me must bore even the most enthusiastic liberal," he said.
This follows earlier comments by New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk that Marais and deputy social development minister David Malatsi had been suspended from all party activities, pending an investigation into allegations of corruption.
Van Schalkwyk, who is also Western Cape premier, has also asked Malatsi to resign his national government post.
The public protector has been asked to probe alleged irregularities involving a controversial golf estate development outside Plettenberg Bay.
Marais said he seemed to be the only South African implicated as guilty before an inquiry, and found not guilty afterwards.
Referring to previous investigations, including into allegations of sexual harassment that last year cost him the premiership, Marais said five government agencies had tried to implicate him in wrongdoing and all had found nothing.
'No skeletons'
"I've played clean and I have no skeletons in my closet."
Regarding the latest claims, he said developers often gave contributions to political parties, and suggested other parties open their books for closer scrutiny.
If a donation was taken, it did not mean there was a "quid pro quo".
Malatsi had taken the decision to go ahead with the development on the advice of his department and without any "contribution" from him as premier.
"I would like to see the investigation and I will give my version of the story, the full story and they will find me not guilty of any irregularity.
"For me it is becoming more than boring and I am very much annoyed... the whole story has not come out," Marais said.
Van Schalkwyk told journalists that according to information the owner of the property to be developed, Count Ricardo Agusta, had given the NNP in the Western Cape R300 000.
The donation had been solicited by Marais, who had earlier visited the proposed site with Malatsi, then provincial environment MEC.
Soon after the donation was received Malatsi pushed through the controversial decision to go ahead with the scheme despite opposition from his own officials and environmentalists.
- SAPA