Investigating Directorate rubbishes reports of Mantashe’s imminent arrest

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The Investigating Directorate (ID) has rubbished reports of African National Congress’ (ANC) chairperson Gwede Mantashe’s imminent arrest.

Referencing to an article in the Sunday World, ID spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the ID does not comment on its investigations.

He emphasised that it is important that a misstatement attributed to its office must be corrected.

According to the weekend tabloid, law enforcement agencies are circling outgoing minister of mineral resources with a plan to arrest him soon.

This after he received security upgrades at his properties in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape from Bosasa.

“The ID has not decided nor discussed “the imminent arrest” of Mr Mantashe. It is unclear where these comments come from, but they are not from the ID,” he remarked.

Investigating Directorate will do its work without fear

Mamothame said the ID will continue to do its work without fear, favour or prejudice and should be given the space to do so without any unnecessary and unwarranted speculations.

In 2022, the State Capture inquiry which was chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, found that Mantashe unduly benefited from the company, after it made security upgrades at his private properties free of charge.

Three properties belonging to Mantashe were fitted with security upgrades in 2013 at Bosasa’s cost of around R650 000.

The company’s former chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi made these allegations when he appeared before the commission in January 2019.

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The minister did not dispute that the installations were made, but claimed that he was unaware that Bosasa paid.

The upgrades were arranged between his security advisor and Bosasa director Papa Leshabane.

Mantashe took the report on judicial review and has asked the Johannesburg High Court to set aside Zondo’s findings against him.