Justin Arenstein
THE head of Dolphin, the foreign company which has secured exclusive commercial rights to top South African tourism sites, this week evaded attempts by politicians in his home country to question him over a defaulted R34-million government contract.
Ketan Somaia was summoned to appear before Kenya’s parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, but failed to show up. The committee wants to question him about his role in a contract in which two United Kingdom-based companies were paid but failed to supply police equipment to the Kenyan government.
This is the fourth time he has failed to appear before the committee. Somaia has previously denied the committee is seeking him.
He was due in Mpumalanga this week, to lead a public relations campaign about the deal his Dubai-based Dolphin cut with the Mpumalanga Parks Board last year. The deal gave Dolphin exclusive rights to sites including Blyde River Canyon for the next 50 years.
The deal was watered down after a public outcry, but questions still remain. Somaia’s background is just one of them.
The Mail & Guardian disclosed in January that the Kenyan MPs were investigating Somaia’s links with the UK companies – links denied by Somaia, through attorneys Cliffe Dekker & Todd.
The committee has conceded no official link could be established. But it has recommended that no company associated with Somaia should receive future government contracts.
The Mpumalanga Parks Board’s attempts to defend Somaia have also raised the ire of Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi. Its chief executive, Alan Gray, claimed to have a letter from Arap Moi exonerating Somaia – a claim denied by Arap Moi’s office. Gray has so far declined to produce the letter.
Questions remain about the process the province followed before the deal with Somaia’s company was agreed to, and the extent of consultation with affected communities.
Deputy Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Peter Mokaba said he had asked officials from the provincial government and the parks board to discuss with him any re-negotiated deal with Dolphin before it was signed. “But, to date, we have heard nothing,” he said. ” We are still waiting for even a copy of the new deal, never mind policy guidelines or consultation.
“What worries us is that it appears the Mpumalanga Parks Board is rushing into this deal because it is afraid it cannot pay its staff salaries. That is not good, or even responsible management.”
The motivations for the deal and the way it had been concluded were setting “bad precedents” for similar initiatives in the future, Mokaba said. “Why all this secrecy? Any government needs clear policies before committing public assets to radical schemes such as this. We haven’t seen any such policy … I am still not convinced we need to go into this deal at all.”
Environmental Affairs MEC David Mkhwanazi was unavailable to comment on this issue, or questions on the business dealings Gray enjoys with the provincial government. The parks board’s chairman, Dr Patrick Maduna, refused to respond to written questions.