Stefaans Brummer
THE master of the supreme court is investigating a false signature on the trust deed of a non-governmental organisation set up by truth commission reparations committee head Hlengiwe Mkhize.Mpumalanga clergyman Father Michel Barrette has complained to the supreme court that the signature — which appears to confirm him as a trustee of the National Children and Violence Trust (NCVT) — is not his. Mkhize has acknowledged it was not Barrette’s signature, but claimed “either the lawyer or auditor said he could sign” for Barrette as he had previously stated he was willing to serve as a trustee.The false signature was one in a number of allegations against Mkhize and her co-trustees by dissatisfied former NCVT employees and associates, published a fortnight ago in the Mail & Guardian. Another allegation was that donor funds had been maladministered or misappropriated. Most activities of the NCVT are in limbo after staff, up in arms about the way the trust was run, were dismissed en masse in February.Truth commission chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu and deputy chair Dr Alex Boraine said they had confidence in Mkhize after they met her to discuss the M&G report. Boraine this week said Mkhize and a lawyer briefed by the NCVT board of trustees to investigate the M&G allegations had both assured the truth commission there was “nothing of substance” in the allegations. “We have to trust our people until such time as the contrary is proven.”But the M&G learnt this week the lawyers briefed by the NCVT board have not completed their investigation.Board of trustees chair Dr Cecil Manitshana this week refused to comment — and angrily accused the M&G of “perhaps taking bribes” to publish the allegations. Mkhize was in the United States for a conference.
‘Fortify Africa’s media to fight tyranny’
SOME of Africa’s leading journalists said this week a free press was essential to prevent rampant corruption and was the last bastion against the greed of tyrants.
The conference, organised by the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, hosted media executives from several African countries including Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, NIgeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa.
The journalists said intractable problems in their countries were poverty and graft, and once corruption became part of the culture of society, it was difficult to reverse the trend.
The International Monetary Fund came in for criticism, with several African editors saying the IMF had caused sudden monetarism in countries like Mozambique where the government was unable to deliver almost any social services.
Mozambican editor Carlos Cardoso said the IMF wanted to impose its rules which often destroyed local industry. African countries should force their rules on the IMF, he said. The IMF’s influence had almost wrecked Mozambique’s cashew nut industry until local people took the matter into their own hands.
A delegate from Zimbabwe, Andrew Moyse, editor of the independent monthly Horizon, said new alliances between political elites and powerful industrial organisations were now encouraging corruption in Africa where desperate governments were violating basic democratic rights to lure foreign investment.
Kenyan humanities professor, Ali Mazrui, now based in New York, suggested regional integration, based on five geographic areas, should help economic development of the continent. These groups could provide peace- keeping forces more sensibly, rather than individual countries with armies. He suggesed a Southern African force might be better deployed in the Liberian war than those now engaged from Nigeria who were accused of being involved in the conflict.
South Africa’s Foreign Affairs deputy director, Abdul Minty, said the “Mandela … and new South Africa factors” were additional burdens to decision-making structures in the government. He was responding to appeals from African journalists to help strengthen the democratic process on the continent.
Minty said demands on South Africa “sometimes create paralysis in our departments”. He said regional frameworks were needed and the Southern African Development Community was the ideal vehicle.