Cape Town mayor Gerald Morkel on Monday apologised for the harm caused by the Jurgen Harksen funding affair but continued to deny he received money from the German fugitive and alleged fraudster.
After two days of cross-examination before the Desai Commission in Cape Town, Morkel insisted he had never received any funds from Harksen for the Democratic Alliance or for his own use.
However he admitted that he had received financial assistance from other benefactors of his party, whom he called ”his friends”.
Morkel also conceded that his association with Harksen, which included dining in upmarket restaurants on about 20 occasions, had been an error of judgement and had cost him dearly.
At the conclusion of cross examination by Peter Mihalik, Morkel asked commission chairman, Judge Siraj Desai, for an opportunity to address the hearing.
He said he felt very sorry about the people who had been affected by the events dealt with in the commission.
”In 20 years of public and community life, I have had a very good reputation for integrity and honesty. I now feel denigrated by finding myself before this commission which is questioning my integrity and my honesty.”
He repeated the claim he has made throughout the proceedings: ”I have never taken a blue cent from Harksen. The sooner the commission gets to the bottom of his matter, the better.”
During cross examination, Morkel was asked extensively about receiving financial assistance from donors. He admitted he had asked Swiss businessman Wilfried Sauerland to pay about R50 000 towards his rental of a flat in Higgovale in Cape Town.
Asked by Desai if he thought it was proper to solicit funds from a foreign person, Morkel objected to the word solicit. He explained that Sauerland had been among a group of friends who had wanted Morkel to remain in politics after he resigned as Western Cape premier last year.
”My friends did not want me to back out of politics, and when I explained that I did not have the financial resources, they agreed to assist me,” he said.
Morkel offered a similar explanation for a donation by Cape Town property developer John Rabie who had contributed R100 000 towards Morkel’s legal fees for his court battle with the New National Party and the African National Congress.
However when asked about the donation of DM99 000 to the party, Morkel insisted that was received from an anonymous donor, who had subsequently been identified only as ”Hans”.
Morkel disputed that the cash may have come from Harksen but could not explain what had happened to the mysterious Hans. Mihalik said no trace of Hans could be found in spite of widespread investigation by agencies, including the Scorpions.
Mihalik suggested to Morkel that he had no problem allowing other people to pay for him.
Morkel: ”I don’t have to answer that question.”
Mihalik: ”In fact you quite like it.”
Morkel: ”I don’t have to answer that question.”
Morkel said he had turned down an offer to remain on as premier of the Western Cape at an annual salary of R900 000.
He said the offer was made to him on the basis that the NNP and the African National Congress form an alliance to wrest control of the province from the Democratic Alliance.
”But I turned down the offer on principle.”
The hearing has been postponed to September 4 to 6. – Sapa