Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has disclosed interests in two properties to Parliament’s ethics committee in addition to acknowledging that he had not told Parliament of his oil and wine interests.
These properties were not previously reported as being part of the minister’s financial interests. All members of Parliament and ministers are required to divulge these interests.
On May 16, the Mail & Guardian published an article on the non-disclosure of financial interests referring to the non-disclosure of Lekota’s interests in BZL Petroleum as well as his directorship of both Landzicht, a wine farm, and Griewaland-Wes Kooperasie (GWK).
This emerges in the announcements, tablings and committee reports (ATC) of Parliament tabled on Wednesday, which reports on his apology to the ethics committee last week for not registering his interests in the parliamentary register.
Two residential properties — one in Bloemfontein and one in Westville in Durban — were not registered in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002.
In addition, his interests in Mokolla Investment, where he serves as a director were not registered in those years. He declared this a dormant company that had never traded.
The multi-party ethics committee — headed by African National Congress (ANC) member of Parliament (MP) Lluwellyn Landers — was told “at the outset” that the minister had apologised for his failure to disclose his interests in the Register of Members’ Interests.
“He conceded that he erred in not forwarding full details of his disclosure and accepts that he failed to abide by the requirements of the code.”
The ATC says that the Office of the Registrar received correspondence — on May 15 — from the minister in which he tendered an apology to Parliament for his non-disclosure of financial interests including interests in BZL Petroleum CC 1169 and BZL Petroleum CC 1209.
He also notes membership of the Braam Fischer Board of Trustees and notes that he was a member of the Grey College school governing body.
The minister explained that he acquired his directorship of GWK in October 2002 and therefore in terms of the rules “is only required to disclose it in the 2003 disclosure”, according to the ATC.
The committee considered the M&G’s statement that Landzicht was a regular supplier of wines to the Free State government. The article also stated that Trade and Investment South Africa (Tisa) paid 80% of Landzicht’s exhibitions held in Thailand, Beijing and Uganda.
The committee found through Tisa that the minister was at no stage directly involved in dealing with any application — and there was only a record of the exhibition in Uganda.
With respect to the BZL Petroleum CC 1169, the minister indicated that he had “at no time” drawn any benefit and advised that the business had undergone liquidation. The minister was credited with a dividend and had not drawn it to date.
With respect to BZL 1209, the minister had a 5% share at a nominal value of R5. The minister indicated to the committee that the company value was difficult to determine but it was not likely to be significant. He received no remuneration of benefit to date and now had tendered his resignation from BZL Petroleum.
With regard to Landzicht, the minister “has partially disclosed this interest including the wine farm in Jacobsdal”, the ATC reported. He received no payment from Landzicht, it also reported. The minister indicated that there was no contract to supply wine to the Free State government — of which he was previously premier — as alleged in the M&G.
With regard to his involvement with GWK, he was invited to serve as a non-executive director in October 2002 but he had tendered his resignation.
He also said he received no benefit personally from the Braam Fischer Board of Trustees that assists rural children.
The minister also did not receive benefits from the Grey School governing body. – I-Net Bridge