Saab AB on Thursday night denied any link to South Africa's Gauteng e-tolling project.
It also denied having any interest whatsoever in an Austrian company involved in the e-tolling project, Kapsch TrafficCom.
"Sanip, the jointly owned company responsible for offset on the Gripen, has no role in South Africa's e-tolling or Gauteng freeway improvement programme," Saab said in a statement.
Referring to reports suggesting such links, the company pointed out that it had sold its traffic management unit, Combitech Traffic Management, to Kapsch in January 2000 while the contract to supply 26 Gripen fighters to South Africa had only come into effect in April
2000.
"Sanip was precluded by DTI regulations from any participation in infrastructure projects and indeed was not involved in any such projects. Any attempt to link Kapsch, the Gauteng e-tolling project, or the freeway improvement programme to Saab has no basis in fact.
"This includes attempts to create such a link by citing unattributed 'Australian newspaper reports'," Saab asserted.
The rand weakest showing in 25 years revealed once again how vulnerable SA is to external shocks.
"We'll give South Africa another Marikana on a silver platter... we are prepared to pay any price..."
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan and mining minister Susan Shabangu will meet with mining leaders today.
