Hill-Lewis summons Burke as DA weighs his fate ahead of FedEx meeting
Democratic Alliance finance chief Mark Burke was summoned to a meeting with Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis before the party’s Federal Executive (FedEx) meets on Wednesday to consider his future amid a South African Reserve Bank investigation into his business dealings.
DA federal chairperson Solly Msimanga confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that Burke had been engaged by senior party leaders, with the outcome of those discussions expected to form part of a report to FedEx.
The party is considering whether Burke should step aside from his parliamentary responsibilities while the investigation continues.
Msimanga said the DA leadership was still “applying its mind” to the matter and would not pre-empt FedEx’s decision.
The questions that have been asked, the responses will determine what happens next.
“There is going to be a report that will come to FedEx, and then FedEx will then apply its mind in terms of what is to then happen,” he said.
Asked whether the DA would ask Burke to step aside, Msimanga said: “I cannot at this point begin to say ‘this is what is going to happen tomorrow.’”
“The questions that have been asked, the responses will determine what happens next.”
This comes as pressure mounts on the DA over Burke’s position following reports that the Reserve Bank is investigating his company over billions of rand in transfers.
The central bank is investigating Burke’s fintech company over about R4bn in transactions that allegedly circumvent exchange control rules.
Burke, one of the DA’s donors, is at the centre of a legal battle between Kastelo, the company he founded, and the South African Reserve Bank after the central bank moved to freeze some of its funds held with Access Bank.
Sunday Times’ sister publication Business Day reported on Monday that the Reserve Bank alleges Kastelo misrepresented its business activities to authorities in an attempt to circumvent South Africa’s exchange-control regime.
Rather than immediately distancing itself from Burke, the DA has opted to establish the facts and allow its internal processes to run their course.
Burke broke his silence on Tuesday in a joint statement with DA federal council chairperson Ashor Sarupen, denying any wrongdoing.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.timeslive.co.za — the content belongs to TimesLIVE Politics.
