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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have described the appointment of former journalist Ranjeni Munusamy “as political secretary to the Minister of Finance”, Tito Mboweni, as “irresponsible”, “reckless”, “dangerous” and “irrational”.
The Red Berets rejected “with contempt” Munusamy’s appointment, calling the former journalist “a former employee of the Friends of the Jacob Zuma Trust“.
The EFF also opposed allegations that Munusamy was “the inexplicable recipient of money from intelligence funds.”
The accusation arose through the testimony of witnesses in the Commission of Inquiry on the Capture of the State chaired by the Vice President of the Supreme Court Raymond Zondo.
Munusamy was implicated by former criminal intelligence Colonel Dhanajaya Naidoo and Colonel Kobus Roelofse in his testimony before Zondo. During testimony at the commission, Naidoo had alleged that R40,000 was paid from a secret state security fund to repair Munusamy’s car.
Roelofse alleged that Munusamy received R143,621.70 from a secret bribery fund allegedly used by state security criminal intelligence officers.
After permission to appeal the two witnesses was granted, Munusamy, however, gave up that right but told Zondo through her legal representative that she was still willing to testify at the commission.
READ MORE: Ranjeni Munusamy abandons the right to question witnesses in the Zondo commission
The EFF said that since the accusations made against Munusamy “have not been controversial,” this confirms that she “has in fact received illegal, unexplained and unaccounted for money from intelligence funds.”
Abandoning her right to question Naidoo and Roelofse, Munusamy’s legal representative told Zondo in July that an exchange of affidavits between the parties led her to determine that neither Naidoo nor Roelofse have direct evidence implicating her.
The Red Berets said that the appointment of a “discredited and committed” Munusamy “to such a serious responsibility is not only irresponsible, it is also reckless, dangerous and blatantly irrational.”
“It is completely irrational because a political secretary of the finance minister has a very influential voice in the fiscal and economic policies of the country and also has an influence on the orientation of the entities dependent on the national treasury,” said the EFF.
The Red Berets demanded that Mboweni “immediately terminate any contractual and employment relationship” with Munusamy until the accusations made against him are “clarified beyond a reasonable doubt”.
The EFF gave Mboweni seven days to “discontinue” Munusamy’s employment “or we will approach the relevant authorities and institutions to do so on his behalf.”
The party said it “will not stand by and do nothing” when government institutions “are being infiltrated by a clique of highly committed individuals.”
“We are fully aware of where these appointments are initiated and processed and in the same way that we fight and defeat the Gupta criminal syndicate, we will defeat the cabal and criminal unit that the state criminal syndicate is capturing strategic sectors of the state.”
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