South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile is under intense scrutiny after it emerged that he failed to declare a diamond gift given to his wife by a jailed gem dealer. The incident, which has triggered a wave of criticism and renewed calls for accountability, comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa faces growing pressure to tackle corruption within the ranks of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
The diamond, reportedly gifted by Louis Liebenberg who is currently serving jail time for theft and money laundering was not disclosed to Parliament as required by ethics rules. On Thursday, Parliament’s ethics committee fined Mashatile 10,000 rands (approximately $550) for the omission. The value of the diamond has not been publicly revealed.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Mashatile claimed he was unaware of the gift’s origins until recently. “I asked my office, can we please go and check this present?” he said. “In the course of that, we found out that the person who made the donation, we’re not quite happy with.”
He clarified that the diamond was intended for his wife and not for him personally but emphasized that he would not allow his family to accept gifts from questionable individuals. “The present was not for me and it was for my wife, but I don’t want her to accept something from somebody who may be questionable,” he said. He added that the gem was surrendered to the authorities after its dubious provenance was uncovered.
The scandal adds to a growing list of ethical controversies facing top ANC officials. Just weeks ago, President Ramaphosa dismissed his higher education minister for lying to Parliament about fraudulent appointments of ANC-aligned individuals to powerful education boards. In a separate case, the president also suspended the police minister over serious corruption allegations leveled by a senior police commissioner.
As South Africa continues to grapple with public anger over political corruption, the pressure is mounting on Ramaphosa to act decisively and restore credibility to his administration. The Mashatile episode underscores the deep-rooted challenges the ANC faces in cleaning up its image ahead of upcoming elections.
