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Cape Town - Congress of the People is challenging all ministers and deputy ministers to make public sworn affidavits denying having been approached by the Gupta family or the Zuma family over dodgy business dealings.
Cope also described as sham the ANC's investigation into claims of the Gupta family abusing their friendship with President Jacob Zuma to influence government decision making in order to gain lucrative business deals.
The investigation was announced in March after deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas claimed that members of the family offered him the post of Finance Minister, which was held by Nhlanhla Nene at the time.
Former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor also claimed in a Facebook post that the family offered her the position of public enterprises minister, while former CEO of the Government Communication and Information System Themba Maseko alleged that the Guptas pressured him into directing government advertising to The New Age newspaper.
The ANC's secretary general Gwede Mantashe was assigned to look into the matter but he revealed that the entire exercise was "fruitless" as only one of the eight ANC members who complained to him about the Guptas' political influence was willing to make a written submission.
"Mantashe’s conveniently aborted investigation that investigated nothing and buried everything was the farce of the century," said Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem.
"More than three quarters of the country no longer believe that the ANC is capable of tackling the issue of state capture. The ANC elite have stepped into the river of corruption so far that to turn back now, as Shakespeare would have said, would be as tedious as going over," he said.
Bloem said only through sustained public pressure will ministers and deputy ministers whose hands are clean lead in making affidavits that they never dealt with Zuma's son Duduzane or the Gupta family in any way.
"Those who have something or plenty to hide will show themselves by ducking and diving."
