Mystery around Mmusi Maimane and 'his' R3.85m Claremont house

[Gordon_R]

The original story/smear has gone cold. Still waiting for an explanation, or maybe there never was an issue...

Edit: https://www.enca.com/news/da-downplays-reports-maimanes-house

Edit: https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-09-16-house-story-storm-in-tea-cup-says-da/

So, there is a perfect example of how to spread disinformation! Take a situation with some element of truth, create a story, add a conspiracy element, generate maximum publicity. Then when the story goes cold, do not publish a retraction, but leave a lingering stench over the reputation of someone who is entirely blameless.

I hope the OP is reading this, since one of the rules of the News forum should be to keep up to date with a thread, not just drop a link and then walk away ignoring the consequences...

 

[Zoomzoom]

So, there is a perfect example of how to spread disinformation! Take a situation with some element of truth, create a story, add a conspiracy element, generate maximum publicity. Then when the story goes cold, do not publish a retraction, but leave a lingering stench over the reputation of someone who is entirely blameless.

I hope the OP is reading this, since one of the rules of the News forum should be to keep up to date with a thread, not just drop a link and then walk away ignoring the consequences...

Except that you are supposed to report rental properties if the rent is below market value, which might explain why the first words out of his mouth were a defensive 'but it's market related', and why isn't anyone just revealing the rental and hiding behind 'privacy'. There is no privacy here. If the rental is below market value then he needs to declare it, which he has done, so reveal the amount and we can all go home.

 

[Gordon_R]

Except that you are supposed to report rental properties if the rent is below market value, which might explain why the first words out of his mouth were a defensive 'but it's market related', and why isn't anyone just revealing the rental and hiding behind 'privacy'. There is no privacy here. If the rental is below market value then he needs to declare it, which he has done, so reveal the amount and we can all go home.

You are part of the conspiracy theory clique, no smoke without fire! Even Julius doesn't have an issue with it. Your bias is showing...

 

[Gordon_R]

WTF, just noticed that the OP has tagged this thread with #corruption and #lifestyle_audit. On a R3.85m house in Claremont.

Seriously!? Rather try #fake_news

 

[lumeer]

Except that you are supposed to report rental properties if the rent is below market value, which might explain why the first words out of his mouth were a defensive 'but it's market related', and why isn't anyone just revealing the rental and hiding behind 'privacy'. There is no privacy here. If the rental is below market value then he needs to declare it, which he has done, so reveal the amount and we can all go home.

Where do you get that the first words out of his mouth were that the rent is market related? YOU have made this aspect of the story up.

 

[Gordon_R]

And along come IOL with more DA smears: https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics...linked-to-maimanes-r38m-rented-house-33126781

Having read various versions of the story, the twisting and inuendo in this article are amazing:

At the weekend, the embattled leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Mmusi Maimane found himself cornered when news broke that he listed a R3.8 million Cape Town home as his when, in fact, it does not belong to him.

When he was asked by Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport, to explain the discrepancies in the parliamentary register of interests, Maimane said he was actually renting it but refused to say how much he was paying. The paper further reported that he said he declared the house unaware that he was not supposed to do so.

 

[Zoomzoom]

Where do you get that the first words out of his mouth were that the rent is market related? YOU have made this aspect of the story up.

The company bought the house for R3.85 million in September 2017. A bond of R2.55 million was registered over the property in 2018. Jacobs said that the remainder was paid out of his own pocket.

Jacobs maintains that the full purchase price was paid by him.

Despite Maimane’s declaration before Parliament, he said last week that the house in Claremont did not belong to him but was leased at a “market-related” rate.

According to an estate agent, rental rates in this part of Cape Town run at between R15 000 and R20 000 a month.

Jacobs maintained that Maimane paid rent, but when asked for the lease agreement, he said that the information was confidential, notwithstanding the fact that he supported “transparent, fact-based and reasonable journalism”.

MPs are usually not required to disclose leased homes on their declarations of members’ interests, as long as the rent was market related.
DA chief whip John Steenhuisen explained that MPs are usually not required to disclose leased homes on their declarations of members’ interests, as long as the rent was market related.

This, said DA sources, could explain why Maimane listed W. Jacobs on his declaration under the heading, Benefits.

Maimane did not respond to questions about what this benefit constituted.

So if he isn't paying rent, or a low rental, it's fine - non-issue because he declared the house. What is weird is that there is so much defensiveness about it. And now the entire DA is downplaying it when they investigated that self same matter last year. All he has to do is say, 'my friend is giving me a bloody good deal on the rent, which is why I declared it', and end of story. Why all the spluttering and hiding behind privacy and 'oh shem I'm not safe' stuff? There is literally no need PROVIDED that the story is as simple as stated.

MP Glynnis Breytenbach is chairperson of the DA’s federal legal commission, which conducts disciplinary investigations and hearings.

She is understood to have been asked to look into the deal last year.

According to a well-placed source, she found no indication that a crime had been committed.

However, the findings of this investigation were not made known, and were only shared with Maimane.

So there is an awful lot of smoke and BS flying around for no apparent fire. I'm with Hamlet on this one - something is not right in the state of Denmark.

 

[TheChamp]

Since the story has gone cold maybe it's time for trash journalism to keep the people entertained until something comes up.

 

[surface]

You are part of the conspiracy theory clique, no smoke without fire! Even Julius doesn't have an issue with it. Your bias is showing...

To be honestly, juliass is in quite a kak position to pick up on small battles such as these.

 

[Grant]

so what actually happened here ?
i saw the title R3.85m house - and figured the poor man is living in a shack for some mystery reason.

then i jump to the middle of the thread to discover zoomzoon forgot to take her meds and was clinging onto a d.i.y narrative - like a barnacle clinging on to sinking seaweed

 

[TheChamp]

To be honestly, juliass is in quite a kak position to pick up on small battles such as these.

Let's not forget that he can flip flop at any minute from now, didn't he at first think Jamnadas was being victimized? Something can snap at any minute and he'll be here telling us that Maimane is a puppet of WMC.

 

[Zoomzoom]

so what actually happened here ?
i saw the title R3.85m house - and figured the poor man is living in a shack for some mystery reason.

then i jump to the middle of the thread to discover zoomzoon forgot to take her meds and was clinging onto a d.i.y narrative - like a barnacle clinging on to sinking seaweed

At very least the entire thing is stupid is as stupid does - it's very simple - his friend can buy him the house and let him live in it rent free absolutely no problem for anyone provided he declares it - which he did. Where it goes pear-shaped is all the weird arse defensiveness around the issue.

 

[surface]

Let's not forget that he can flip flop at any minute from now, didn't he at first think Jamnadas was being victimized? Something can snap at any minute and he'll be here telling us that Maimane is a puppet of WMC.

Currently we are taking advise from guptas as to how hide money pro-pah-ly..

 

[Gordon_R]

Currently we are taking advise from guptas as to how hide money pro-pah-ly..

Yeah, lets get the PP involved, and find that Maimane 'lied to parliament'...

 

[Gordon_R]

so what actually happened here ?
i saw the title R3.85m house - and figured the poor man is living in a shack for some mystery reason.

Thanks for putting things into perspective! The leader of the opposition in Parliament lives in a R3.85m house in Claremont, but most of the cabinet live in a security complex on the Groote Schuur Estate. Left to the country by Cecil John Rhodes no less. And the Premier of the Western Cape (formerly Madam Zille) lives in a huge mansion in the City Bowl. Double standards all around...

Edit: A proper mansion is a residence that has its own Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeuwenhof

 

[Cius]

Only potential issue I see is if he is paying no rent or very little rent in return for tenders in WC to said businessman, however that would be a surprise considering how the DA tries so hard to distinguish themselves from the ANC on that exact front. Sounds like the media fishing for scandal when there is none.

 

[Zoomzoom]

Only potential issue I see is if he is paying no rent or very little rent in return for tenders in WC to said businessman, however that would be a surprise considering how the DA tries so hard to distinguish themselves from the ANC on that exact front. Sounds like the media fishing for scandal when there is none.

It isn't an issue because he declared the asset. What is problematic is that none of them just say this is the case which would make all speculation go away. It is the obfuscating that is making an issue out of what appears to be a non-issue. If you haven't got anything to hide don't act all squirrelly like you do.

 

[Gordon_R]

It isn't an issue because he declared the asset. What is problematic is that none of them just say this is the case which would make all speculation go away. It is the obfuscating that is making an issue out of what appears to be a non-issue. If you haven't got anything to hide don't act all squirrelly like you do.

This reminds me of the old (not politically correct) joke:
Q: "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"
A: "Yes, so you were beating her previously"
B: "No, so you haven't stopped beating her."

No matter what the answer, someone will distort the facts...

 

[Zoomzoom]

This reminds me of the old (not politically correct) joke:
Q: "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"
A: "Yes, so you were beating her previously"
B: "No, so you haven't stopped beating her."

No matter what the answer, someone will distort the facts...

No-one has distorted anything but the people involved are acting suspiciously when there is no apparent reason to do so which makes everyone think there is reason.

 

[rietrot]

Have someone figured out what the problem is yet?