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ActionSA has today lodged a formal complaint with the Public Protector's Office, requesting an official investigation into Resolve Communications, its dealings with GNU ministers, and any corresponding decisions or actions taken by those ministers.

Today's complaint follows explosive allegations that the PR firm, owned by former DA leader Tony Leon, brokered meetings between its clients and several GNU ministers. This includes Elon Musk's Starlink, which is alleged to have met with Communications Minister Solly Malatsi and, later, had the former DA leader pressure the Minister about the slow pace of the government's response. Allegations also include that companies linked to Resolve Communications placed pressure on ministers, as has now been publicly confirmed by the former DA Minister of Agriculture and the former DA Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

From the outset, both Leon and the newly minted DA leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, have brushed these claims aside, labelling the alleged activities as "lobbying". They sing from the same hymn sheet because it is Tony Leon's political influence in the DA that is allegedly being brought to bear, particularly on DA representatives in government.

What they claim to be lobbying appears to be something far more sinister and reminds South Africans of a time not that long ago when powerful individuals captured leaders of political parties in a bid to gain access to the state that they would not otherwise have enjoyed.

This would not have marked Resolve Communications' first foray into backroom dealings. As captured in The Accidental Mayor, Leon attempted to facilitate a R300 million contract for one of its clients during a meeting with then Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba. Leon was shown the door, and Mashaba lodged a complaint with the DA, only to find Leon chairing the review panel into Mashaba's government that ultimately paved the way for his ousting.

ActionSA's efforts to uncover the truth will not stop with today's complaint. Questions will be submitted to all DA ministers and deputy ministers regarding their engagements with Resolve Communications, and we will request that the Minister of Communications, as well as Resolve Communications, appear before the appropriate parliamentary committee to answer questions about their conduct.

Acts of impropriety are not the speciality of one party, even if one party has had the lion's share of access to government throughout our 32-year-old democracy. The GNU has seen more political parties gain access to national government, and it appears that the opposition will need to play an effective role in monitoring potential abuses of power by those invisible forces that ride on the coattails of others to gain access to the levers of power in our country.

ActionSA will continue to apply pressure in pursuit of the truth. Where wrongdoing is found, consequences must follow.

Press Statement by: Michael Beaumont - ActionSA National Chairperson