President Ramaphosa insists Paul Mashatile must personally address diamond gift controversy
Paul Mashatile has found himself with a fine and reprimand after he did not declare a diamond gifted to his wife.
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa believes that his deputy, Paul Mashatile should answer for himself following reports that he failed to declare a diamond gift given to his wife by controversial businessman, Louis Liebenberg.
Addressing the media on Friday, following the swearing-in of acting Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia, Ramaphosa said he cannot answer for Mashatile.
“I can't answer for him, and he has answers for all his matters,” Ramaphosa said.
“We will need to wait for him to provide answers to all these questions, and only he can answer them. So let’s wait for that and then we take the process from there," Ramaphosa said.
This week, a decision was undertaken by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests to reprimand Mashatile and impose a fine of R10,000 for failing to declare the gift in the confidential section of his financial interests register.
“The committee resolved that the National Assembly should reprimand the Deputy President, Mr Paul Mashatile, and impose a R10,000 fine for his failure to declare a gift to his wife in the confidential part of his financial and registrable interests register,” it said in a statement on Thursday, 31 July.
Reports state that Mashatile confirmed the diamond had since been handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The complaint, laid on 5 March 2025 by DA MP George Michalakis, related to a breach of the Code of Ethical Conduct and Members’ Interests.
The committee found that Mashatile failed to comply with item 13(3)(f) of the code, which requires MPs to disclose gifts received by immediate family members in the confidential register.
Although Mashatile had argued he was waiting for an appraisal to determine the diamond’s value before declaring it, the committee ruled this did not absolve him from his obligation to disclose.
“The committee contended that ethical behaviour required the gift be declared, with the value disclosed at a later stage,” it said.
“The Member breached item 13(3)(f) as read with item 16(1)(a)(ii) of the code.”
The committee said it would recommend that the National Assembly impose a formal reprimand and the R10,000 fine as a first offence.
“The disclosure process not only facilitates public trust in Parliament but also enhances its credibility,” it said, noting that the full report would be published on the Parliament website.
His bail application has faced repeated delays , the latest after his attorney, Jaco du Plessis, withdrew due to non-payment.
Du Plessis told the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrates’ Court he may return if financial arrangements can be resolved.
Liebenberg is reportedly preparing his own bail application, having secured court permission to access documents via his cellphone.
He plans to call about 55 witnesses to argue the state’s case is weak.
His wife, Dezzi Liebenberg, is also in custody and awaiting trial after her bail appeal was rejected. The couple were arrested on October 22, 2024 following a five-year investigation.
They face 42 charges, including fraud, theft, racketeering and money laundering.
Prosecutors allege that Liebenberg operated a diamond investment scam, luring people via social media and defrauding investors of more than R4 billion since 2019.
'A farce'
Speaking with IOL News independent political analyst Goodenough Mashego said the R10,000 penalty was a farce.
“Well, I don't think R10,000 is adequate punishment. For somebody who's aiming for millions to be fined R10,000 - it's really just a laugh. They're laughing at South Africans,” Mashego said.
He added that Mashatile should have been dismissed from his post.
“He's putting the reputation of the country in disrepute. And nobody knows where Louis Liebenberg gets the diamond from,” Mashego said.
“President Ramaphosa should have acted, even if it risked collapsing the ANC.”
The Ethics Committee also released its latest Members’ Interests Register, revealing that some MPs declared little to no assets or interests.
Among them is Dr John Hlophe, Deputy President of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, and MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla.
Both declared “nothing to disclose” across nearly all categories, including shareholding, financial interests, property ownership, gifts, and hospitality.
Zuma-Sambudla declared only one rented property in Waterfall, Cape Town. Hlophe, similarly, reported no financial or material interests.
Political analyst Theo Nethling said the declarations raise red flags.
“This raises serious questions, as the Deputy President’s official salary does not come close to supporting the acquisition of a property of such value,” he said.
Mashatile’s financial disclosures have also raised eyebrows.
Despite an annual salary of R3.16 million, he declared ownership of luxury properties worth R65 million, including a Constantia estate in Cape Town previously claimed to belong to his son-in-law.
Last year, Mashatile had declared significantly more modest properties: a residential plot in Midrand and another in Sandton.
His latest disclosures list a R28.9 million home in Constantia and another property in Waterfall, Midrand.
The DA has laid criminal charges of corruption, nepotism and patronage against Mashatile, claiming he is the ultimate beneficiary of questionable property transactions. The charges were laid at Cape Town Central Police Station in February.
The Hawks have confirmed that an investigation has been opened.
“We can confirm that an inquiry into corruption-related allegations, including the purchase of a multimillion-rand house in Cape Town, has been registered,” said Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo.
She stressed that no individuals are currently under formal investigation.
“Only when the investigation is finalised and the person of interest has been linked to the case, formally charged and brought before a court of law, will we confirm the name of the individual.”
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