Pretoria - The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has confirmed that it is investigating allegations that former ambassador to Iran, Yusuf Saloojee, accepted payments from cell phone giant MTN.
Replying to parliamentary questions released on Tuesday, the department said it did not receive a request from Saloojee to do remunerative work outside his diplomatic functions.
The probe follows claims that Saloojee received a bribe in return for securing a mobile operating licence in Iran. Both MTN and Saloojee have denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, in another parliamentary question, the department addressed Zimbabwe's readiness to conduct free and fair elections under the current circumstances. The department believed that "if all processes are carried out, it will be possible for Zimbabwe to conduct free and fair elections in a conducive environment".
South Africa, as mandated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is assisting the Inclusive Government in Zimbabwe to implement the Global Political Agreement (GPA).
Critical in the implementation of the GPA is the finalisation of the constitution-making process as well as the implementation of the roadmap towards elections.
In this regard, the recent SADC Summit has called on the parties to the GPA to finalise the constitution-making process and subject it to a referendum, and to set out time frames for the full implementation of the roadmap to elections.
Zimbabwe is due to hold elections either at the end of this year or early next year after the conclusion of the ongoing constitution-making process.
The last elections in 2008 witnessed unprecedented levels of violence between supporters of Zanu PF and the then opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change.
The violence ended with a political settlement that SADC brokered, which saw the birth of the coalition government in 2009.
