Top ANC women helped establish the country’s first private deportation camp, reports HEIN MARAIS
SEVERAL prominent women members of the African National Congress are linked to a private company running South Africa’s first private deportation camp. The Lindela Accommodation Centre, in Randfontein on the far West Rand, is a central holding point for captured illegal immigrants before they are shipped home. The centre has processed more than 15 000 illegal immigrants – charging R22,75, including VAT, a head per day – since it won the contract from the Department of Home Affairs last August.
It currently has 720 immigrants under guard. Some inmates complained this week of beatings; those held are also not allowed to talk during meals.
The centre’s ultimate owner – Dyambu Trust – was created last year by a group of high-profile ANC women, including Deputy Speaker Baleka Kgositsile, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Lindi Sisulu, Adelaide Tambo, Lindiwe Zulu and Hilda Ndude.
But only two of the women – Gauteng MPLs Nomvula Mokonyane and Lindiwe Maseko – are formally registered as its trustees.
Dyambu co-ordinator Daniel Mansell said this week he had advised the women not to register as trustees, because of potential conflicts of interests and because several were uncomfortable being linked to an operation that makes money from deportation.
But Ndude said she regarded herself and the other women in the group as members of the Dyambu Trust. Dyambu’s operations had “nothing to do with the ANC or the women’s league”, but the group were “women with vision, women who fought the struggle, women who are trying to bring change”.
Lindela was a “way of contributing to the normalisation of South Africa … As much as we are not against foreigners coming into South Africa, we must assist our government in curbing the influx.” South Africa, she said, has “its own problems of unemployment and the high rate of crime”.
Mansell said he planned to call a meeting this weekend to clarify the women’s relationship with Dyambu.
The women, who also include Nozizwe Nqakula, Nomatyala Hangana, Makho Njobe and Girly Pikoli, joined forces in April 1996.
The original idea, according to Mansell, was to buy a mining operation, from which profits could be ploughed into community upliftment projects.
The group agreed in June to buy the accommodation facilities at Randfontein from private company Meritum Hostels.
The agreement with Meritum stipulated that the women establish a formal trust, a holding company called Newco Holdings and an operating company called Newco Operations.
Mansell was appointed to oversee these entities.
Lacking the funds to consummate the purchase, however, the group agreed that Meritum Hostel’s owners would continue to hold all shares and manage the operations.
A share of the profits from the operations is paid to Newco Holdings, which then “distributes the funds to the Dyambu Trust or other activities it might identify”, Mansell said. Dyambu also operates a nearby juvenile detention facility, and a catering business serving mines on the West Rand and East Rand.
Meritum’s management secured the contract for Lindela on August 19 – 12 days after it tendered. Home Affairs was unable to comment on the allocation.
But Mansell said the group was “fairly upset” when it discovered the operations included Lindela. “They didn’t know how to handle it, especially Lindi Sisulu.” Sisulu withdrew from Dyambu in September.
Lindela’s contract is renewed monthly. Home Affairs is soon to put out an open tender for the operation. In the meantime, however, Dyambu has refurbished an adjoining compound to hold an additional 1 000 deportees.
Inside the twilight zone, PAGE 13