‘Mantashe is a liar': Zuma to file perjury case over R40m ex-mine workers' claim
Zuma tells City Press he will file a perjury case against Mantashe, accusing him of lying under oath.
Mantashe responded with a crimen injuria charge against Zuma, calling the allegations defamatory.
The dispute involves a payout from East Rand Property Mines liquidation in 1999, which mineworkers say was never delivered.
Mining rights activist Zakhele Zuma says he plans to lay a perjury charge against Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, accusing him of giving false testimony in a sworn police statement.
Zuma alleged that Mantashe, in the police statement, denied claims that he mishandled R40 million owed to former East Rand Property Mines (ERPM) mine workers.
'He lied under oath,' Zuma told City Press.
'This is about accountability, not politics. Instead of addressing the workers' concerns, the minister is using legal tactics to avoid the truth.'
Zakhele Zuma
WATCH: Ex-mine workers and families accuse Mantashe, NUM of betrayal, demand 'R40m, with interest'
Earlier this month, Mantashe opened a crimen injuria case against Zuma at the Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria, after Zuma publicly accused him of failing to pay out the R40 million.
When the ERPM was liquidated in 1999, at least 4 000 workers were affected. Many had worked deep underground for years, often in unsafe conditions.
In the aftermath of the mine's closure, workers say they were told that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), then under the leadership of its general secretary, Mantashe, had received their settlement packages and would invest the money on their behalf.
Zuma claims Mantashe assured workers their money would be invested for ten years, but no returns have materialised.
Mantashe denied the allegations in an interview with City Press:
'I do not know this man personally, and these claims are false and defamatory. I will pursue legal action because I will not allow my name to be dragged through the mud.'
Mantashe further told City Press that he believed Zuma was not acting independently, but is part of a broader political agenda, adding that while he does not know Zuma personally, he sees 'clear political motives' behind the activist's allegations.
Mahlatsi Moleya
WATCH: Paul Mashatile defends spending millions on overseas trips
The core of the dispute concerns mostly elderly, uneducated mineworkers who say they trusted Mantashe's promise that their payout would be managed responsibly—something they say never happened.
Both parties now find themselves in a legal battle, with Zuma preparing to charge Mantashe with perjury, while Mantashe continues to press charges for crimen injuria against Zuma.
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