The Pretoria High Court has dismissed claims that some of its judges received money from the CR17 campaign.
The claims surfaced on social media on Monday, but remain unverified so far.
They have been trending under the hashtags #CR17BankStatements and #CR17Leaks on Twitter.
‘Scurrilous fake news’
In a statement sent to the media on Monday, Pretoria High Court’s Judge President Dunstan Mlambo said the claims are “scurrilous fake news.”
Judge President Mlambo dismisses the scurrilous fake news with the contempt they deserve.
Judge President Dunstan Mlambo
He challenged the “authors” of the claims to approach law enforcement agencies or the state capture commission of inquiry.
They should do so “with evidence, such as bank accounts into which these alleged payments were made,” he added.
CR17 campaign funding imbroglio
“CR17” was the campaign slogan President Cyril Ramaphosa’s supporters used to support his ascendancy to the presidency of the African National Congress (ANC) in 2017.
However, it is now infamous for its funding controversy since Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane released her report into it in July.
The campaign’s bank statements have been leaked to the media and social media.
As a result, donors and recipients of campaign funds have been revealed.
President Ramaphosa has maintained that there was nothing wrong with raising funds to run his campaign.
He has taken Mkhwebane’s report on review and a hearing is expected soon.