CAPE TOWN, Western Cape — ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli has formally initiated an R4-billion criminal case against Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament Mark Burke and his fintech enterprise, Kastelo. The legal escalation centers on severe allegations of exchange-control contraventions and financial misconduct, which are now actively being probed by the South African Reserve Bank.
In the wake of the allegations, Burke has stepped back from his duties on parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance and the Standing Committee on Appropriations. However, Ntuli insists that voluntary recusal falls short of true accountability.
“It is not enough until the investigation is properly conducted and completed, and we uncover the real truth behind what has happened,” Ntuli explained. He highlighted that the ANC had previously petitioned the Speaker of Parliament not only for Burke’s removal from these committees but also for his formal referral to the ethics committee of parliament to ensure decisive institutional action.
Addressing the delicate balance within the Government of National Unity (GNU), Ntuli rejected any suggestion that coalition politics should shield partners from legal consequences. He stressed that the Constitution and the law apply uniformly to every member of the national assembly, regardless of their party affiliation or executive roles. Holding each other accountable, he noted, is a non-negotiable responsibility.
The ANC Chief Whip argued that this high-profile legal action dismantles the “optical illusion” that the DA has historically been immune to the rigorous public scrutiny it often directs at its political rivals. He referenced ongoing concerns raised by ANC representatives in the Western Cape province and the City of Cape Town metro regarding governance mishaps, noting that the sheer scale of the alleged R4-billion state defrauding demanded an unprecedented, direct response from the ANC caucus.
When challenged by critics who suggested the ANC is leveraging the Mark Burke case to divert attention from its own internal renewal challenges, Ntuli drew a firm line between human error and deliberate fraud. He acknowledged that the ANC, as a “living organism,” is prone to genuine mistakes during its long transformative mission.
“This is not a mistake,” Ntuli clarified, characterizing the alleged actions surrounding Kastelo as a “conscious decision” by a private entity, bolstered by political connections, to undermine the democratic state. He emphasized that such calculated objectives are fundamentally incompatible with South Africa’s constitutional framework and the duties of public representatives.
Shifting focus to the ANC’s electoral preparations, Ntuli also addressed recent criticism surrounding the delayed announcement of the party’s mayoral candidates for the upcoming local government elections. Detractors have pointed to the lack of outright names as evidence of internal factionalism and decision-making gridlock.
Ntuli firmly dismissed claims of infighting, attributing the timeline extension to a newly implemented, highly rigorous interview process spanning nearly 50 municipalities. He noted that this comprehensive vetting approach, while time-consuming, is a necessary evolution from past practices to ensure the right individuals are selected, and should not be misinterpreted as organizational dysfunction.
Concluding his remarks, Ntuli reinforced the African National Congress’s core political philosophy: the collective party and its policy mandates must always supersede individual ambitions. He warned against adopting a “US-style” political culture, affirming that the upcoming election campaigns will prioritize the ANC’s institutional vision and collective policy agenda over the elevation of individual candidates.
