Bell Pottinger must tell Parliament why it sought to harm SA, Gordhan says

ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and former finance minister Pravin Gordhan at the 14th congress of the SACP held at Birchwood Hotel.

Picture: Business Day

Rather, the company should come and account to Parliament on why it undermined SA's sovereignty and its fiscus.

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Gordhan was among the victims of the Bell Pottinger smear attempts, with the company linking him to its "white monopoly capital" narrative.

He was eventually removed from his post at the helm of the Treasury, with President Jacob Zuma using a dubious intelligence report to justify his actions.

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Speaking on the sidelines of the SACP national congress, Gordhan said there should be "full disclosure and transparency" by Bell Pottinger.

"It's clear that for over a year or so, they were operating as agents of Guptas ". They have a lot to account for," Gordhan said.

Bell Pottinger should account to Parliament about who briefed them, what these people briefed them about and the names of the people the PR firm was told to malign.

Turning to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa's comments on state capture, Gordhan said he agreed that people had to account.

He questioned how it happened that there were so many revelations and yet nothing happened and no one was held to account. "These elements are operating with impunity."

Gordhan also called for a "firm decision" by the state not to do business with the family and its allies. He also called for new leadership at state-owned entities.

He said all those implicated must be treated in the same way, when asked about the role of Zuma in state capture.

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