Macpherson says he's a target of a coordinated smear campaign
Macpherson on Sunday gave an update on his department’s investigation into an R800 million independent development trust tender for an oxygen plant.
FILE: Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. Picture: X/GovernmentZA
CAPE TOWN - Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says he’s the target of a coordinated smear campaign, attempting to undermine his efforts, as he gets closer to uncovering corruption at the Independent Development Trust (IDT).
Macpherson on Sunday gave an update on his department’s investigation into an R800 million independent development trust tender for an oxygen plant.
Macpherson was recently accused of trying to influence operations at the IDT and also bribing a journalist.
READ: Macpherson says he won’t be deterred from probing IDT, despite threats against life
He, however, says officials and politicians knew they were in trouble, “and started rolling out a coordinated fightback campaign”.
"In a coordinated similar to the Bell-Pottinger campaign to protect state capture, newly formed or obscure non-profit organisations wrote to the president of South Africa, requesting that the investigations be blocked, and accusing me of using ‘apartheid-style’ tactics. At the same time, a steady social media campaign started to emerge, accusing me of racism because of the investigation into the IDT from a series of bot accounts."