Gaye Davis
FREE STATE Premier Terror Lekota this week said he would deal with disciplinary charges to be brought against him by a hostile provincial African National Congress leadership “when they came” and defended comments he made on a radio broadcast as the political row in the province escalated to a new intensity.
Lekota also refuted claims that he was soft- pedalling on corruption allegations levied against his MEC for agriculture, Cas Human, involving a company called Agri-Eco, and Lekota’s alleged involvement in the transfer of state land to a Chinese businessman, Van Chen.
ANC secretary general Cyril Ramaphosa has meanwhile appealed to members of the party’s provincial executive committee to refrain from any actions that could damage the ANC’s image and has urged them to try and solve the problems amicably.
But it became clear this week that the fragile truce brokered by ANC national leaders in July had shattered.
Provincial ANC leader Pat Matosa told the Mail & Guardian Lekota would be formally informed of disciplinary charges “today or tomorrow”. Still to be finalised, they would involve Lekota’s allegedly bringing the ANC into disrepute, publicly vilifying ANC Free State leaders and dividing the organisation.
Matosa alleged Lekota had violated agreements brokered in the so-called Cape Town accord when a team of national leaders, led by ANC trouble-shooter, Minister of Sport Steve Tshwete, tried to resolve hostilities between Lekota and ANC provincial leaders.
“What sparked the breakdown was that the premier violated the accord by travelling to areas and vilifying ANC Free State leaders. That we could tolerate as it was just in those areas, but the broadcast on Lesedi Stereo was the last straw,” Matosa said.
Lekota had described him during the programme as “a gun-toting thug”; had claimed that Vax Mayekiso, a member of the provincial legislature and former MEC for Housing, was given R2-million by the National Party government “when it was still killing people” and that Ace Magashule “was party to officials who had squandered R7-million”.
Lekota fired Magashule as MEC for economic affairs and tourism in June for “insubordination”, but was later forced to reinstate him as MEC for transport.
At the time, corruption charges were being investigated against Magashule for establishing two Section 21 companies without authority and depositing millions of government funds in their accounts. Lekota’s supporters condemned the ANC leadership for what they saw as an attempted cover-up of potentially embarrassing corruption charges.
Matosa said the provincial executive committee had called for an ANC commission of inquiry into allegations of corruption and missing government money.
This would cover Lekota’s alleged involvement in the land transfer to Van Chen and his alleged failure to act against Human who had R19,5-million of government funds in the account of a private company, Agri-Eco.
But Lekota said that unlike Magashule, Human had followed proper procedures and consulted with Cabinet in depositing funds in Agri-Eco as a way of dealing with unbundling the former parastatal Agricor. The ANC caucus in the legislature decided yesterday it was unnecessary for Human to resign.
Minister of Land Affairs Derek Hanekom had approved the transfer of land to the Phuthaditjaba Transitional Council and questions about its disposal to Van Chen – whom he freely admitted was a personal friend – should be directed to the council. “Is it being said I told the council to give the land to Van Chen? No. I reject this insinuation,” Lekota said.