Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown has asked her personal assistant, Kim Davids, to step down following allegations related to the email leaks this week.

On Wednesday, amaBhungane reported that three people close to Brown, including Davids, have links to the Gupta family. According to the story, this suggests that the Guptas engineered several channels to the minister, and raises concerns about Brown’s own capture by Gupta family interests.

“This past week I have been confronted by allegations against Ms Davids. In the interest of fairness I asked Ms Davids to respond to these allegations,” Brown said in a statement on Wednesday.

“I was satisfied with her responses but I felt that the continuous allegations against Ms Davids could compromise the legitimacy of my office.

“My decision is not an expression of guilt on the part of Ms Davids. However, it is important that my office is above reproach.

“I want to thank Ms Davids for her service and wish her well,” said Brown. – News24