‘Mzwanele Manyi is a disgrace,’ cries Cope after testimony at Zondo inquiry
In a strongly worded statement, the party call Manyi a 'hostile' and 'untruthful' witness who undermines the commission's integrity.
Jimmy Manyi speaks to a reporter from the Citizen at the ANN7 Offices in Midrand on 25 August 2017. Manyi has recently acquired ANN7 and The New Age newspaper through a R450 million vendor-financed deal. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
The Congress of the People (Cope) has issued a media statement in the form of a thread of tweets, slamming businessman Mzwanele Manyi as a “disgrace” for allegedly only appearing at the commission of inquiry into state capture in a bid to discredit it.
“The conduct of Mzwanele Manyi during his appearance at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture can only be described as a disgrace to himself and his handlers,” the statement says.
The party accuses Manyi of offering to appear at the commission only to “to display a contemptuous attitude and make spurious assertions” and proceed to cry foul “when their veracity is tested”. This, they said, showed that his appearance at the commission was an “attempt to undermine” it.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Mzwanele Manyi flip-flops on application for Advocate Maleka’s recusal
The statement went on to call Manyi a “hostile” and “untruthful” witness. His testimony, the statement says: “has no credibility – like him.”
It then compares Manyi to “those of his ilk in the BLF and EFF”, saying that both he and they “must know that the majority of law-abiding citizens will not tolerate their unbecoming and destructive conduct”.
The statement then disputes the notion that Manyi represents “black excellence”.
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Manyi was back in the hot seat at the commission of inquiry into state capture on both Monday and Tuesday.
His testimony was marked, among other things, by his assertion that there had been a lack of evidence at the inquiry which had led him to “struggling” to connect the controversial Gupta family to state capture.
“People we have heard here have just been poetic. I am struggling to convict people based on poetry,” he said.
He also asked for advocate Vincent Maleka to be recused as evidence leader, only to later withdraw this request.
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