By Dylan Bettencourt
- Ian Cameron admitted he got the name wrong when he said Vusimusi Matlala was linked to illegal guns found at Shauwn Mkhize’s home.
- The guns were in fact linked to another businessman, Vusimusi Xaba, whose companies were using Mkhize’s property when the raid took place.
Democratic Alliance MP Ian Cameron has apologised to businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize after wrongly linking her to a man he claimed was a criminal.
Cameron had told a press briefing in Parliament that a stash of illegal guns found during a South African Revenue Service raid at Mkhize’s property belonged to Vusimusi Matlala.
But that was incorrect. He now says he meant to name a different man, Vusimusi Xaba, whose companies were operating on Mkhize’s property at the time of the raid.
“I misspoke by naming the wrong Vusimusi,” Cameron told The Citizen.
Neither Matlala nor Xaba has been confirmed by police as criminals, and there is no public evidence linking Mkhize herself to any crime.
Still, the guns were real and were found during the raid.
Mkhize’s lawyers, Nefuri Attorneys, say Cameron made false and damaging statements. They want a clear public retraction that admits the claims were made “without basis and verification”.
They also slammed him for making such serious allegations without checking the facts, saying the claims were spread widely on social media by news broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
Cameron says he regrets the mistake but believes the presence of illegal weapons still raises serious concerns.
“This raises serious concerns about firearm control and private security oversight,” he said.
He says he will continue pushing the South African Police Service and the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority to investigate.
“The weapons were stored illegally, and that’s something the public needs answers for,” Cameron said.
Pictured above: MamKhize.
Image source: File
