Daily Podcast – September 04, 2017

4th September 2017 By: Thabi Shomolekae - Creamer Media Senior Writer

Daily Podcast – September 04, 2017

South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa

Making headlines: Ramaphosa says report alleging affairs is attempted smear; Kenya opposition leader Odinga says he will not share power And, Hawks says they are looking at Outa's State capture documents

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Ramaphosa says report alleging affairs is attempted smear

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied a report by a Sunday newspaper alleging that he had affairs with several women, describing it as an attempt to discredit him ahead of the ruling party's leadership contest.

The ANC picks President Jacob Zuma's successor in December and unionist-turned-business tycoon Ramaphosa is expected to face-off against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former African Union chairperson and Zuma’s ex-wife.

Ramaphosa has pledged to fight the corruption that has plagued Zuma's time in office.

The Sunday Independent newspaper said it obtained emails linking Ramaphosa to at least eight women, saying he pays their tuition fees, accommodation and other expenses.

The newspaper said it had seen documents which show that Ramaphosa holds three alternative email accounts under fake names, which he uses to communicate with the women.

The deputy president said the claims were aimed at discrediting him, using similar tactics to those of the former apartheid regime to smear its opponents.

Kenya opposition leader Odinga says he will not share power

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga yesterday said that his coalition will not share power, two days after the Supreme Court annulled last month's presidential election and ordered a new poll within 60 days.

The court ruled on Friday that the election board had committed irregularities that rendered the August 8 vote invalid, and overturned incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory.

The ruling set up a new race between Kenyatta, 55, and veteran opponent Odinga, 72, and tension between the two camps has since been rising.

Odinga, who also contested the presidential election in 2007 and 2013, repeated his statement after Friday's court ruling that the opposition would not participate in the re-run of the poll without changes to the election commission. On Friday he had called for the commission to resign and face criminal prosecution.

And, Hawks says they are looking at Outa's State capture documents

The Hawks have confirmed that they have received documents from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse relating to the charges they laid against numerous people allegedly involved in State capture.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said today that the organization had received volumes and volumes of documents from Outa about State capture.

Mulaudzi denied reports that he said the Hawks were investigating a charge of treason against Public Service and Administration Minister Faith Muthambi and Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane.

In July, Outa laid charges at the Brixton police station in Johannesburg, following revelations that Muthambi had emailed confidential government policy documents to one of the three Gupta brothers.


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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today