Lindiwe Zulu: Not everything that is black is corrupt

Cape Town – “Not everything that is black is corrupt,” said Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Small Business Development on Wednesday.

Zulu was responding to a follow-up question in Parliament from the Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Toby Chance, who asked Zulu about her special adviser Thami Mazwai, who allegedly owns 40% of shares in a company that received a R22m contract from her department.

Earlier, in a reply to a written question posed by Chance, Zulu confirmed that the Department of Small Business Development had paid R22.085m to a company, Mtiya Dynamics in which Mazwai owns 40% of the shares.

Mtiya Dynamics was chosen to manage the Department’s National Gazelle’s Programme – an initiative that aims to stimulate the growth of small businesses and a new generation of South African entrepreneurs.

On Wednesday, Zulu responded, saying Mazwai has agreed to dispose of his shares upon his appointment as her special adviser.

“He acknowledged that there would be a conflict of interest and we agreed that he’d get rid of the shares. He is in the process of finalising it.”

Zulu then said the structure of South Africa’s economy is still “an apartheid one”, which makes it near impossible for small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) to participate in the value chain of the economy.

“That’s why I decided Mr Mazwai would be the right person for the job. And I take exception that every time we (the government) are doing our best you regard us as corrupt,” Zulu said. “Everything that’s black isn’t corrupt.”