Denel is not captured by the Gupta family, acting chairman Daniel Mantsha insisted in Parliament on Wednesday. His "No, No, No" denial followed probing questions by former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and members of the portfolio committee on public enterprises. This came after a briefing by Mantsha and Denel acting chief financial officer Odwa Mhlwana. Mantsha said one only had to look at Denel’s R5bn annual procurement spend to see that it was not directed at Gupta-owned companies. An amount of only R235m of it was spent on black-owned companies, including the Gupta-linked VR Laser. "VR Laser is not getting the lion’s share of Denel procurement spend," said Mantsha. He said it was very difficult to win the battle of perceptions which are not based on fact and are fed by fake news. While there could be a similar pattern to the capture of state-owned enterprises as outlined by Gordhan, Denel was different, Mantsha stressed.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.