Controversial mining tycoon Brett Kebble has launched an extraordinary attack on the Scorpions boss Bulelani Ngcuka for alleged ”slanderous and racist” remarks he made against the businessman.
According to Kebble the remarks were made at a private briefing by Ngcuka attended by several newspaper editors in July.
The businessman said that on Thursday he had laid a complaint against Ngcuka with the public protector, on Thursday. Kebble said affidavits from some of the people who attended Ngcuka’s briefing have been submitted with the complaint.
Kebble also claimed that Ngcuka, out of ”malice”, had elevated certain allegations of technical breaches of company regulations against him to charges of fraud. The case, which relates to share transactions involving mining company Western Areas, starts in the Johannesburg High Court, on Monday.
It is alleged that at the editors’ briefing Ngcuka accused Kebble of funding African National Congress members, including the ANC Youth League. He is also alleged to have made remarks against other prominent ANC members, including Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
Kebble claimed that Ngucka was attempting to ”garner support for a campaign against me and others on his hit list in the hope that the newspapers would then publish anti-Kebble rhetoric”. According to Kebble, ”the very man I would normally look to to protect my rights is the one leading the charge to destroy me. Some might say the fox has been [put] in charge of the henhouse.”
Ngcuka’s legal adviser Lungisa Dyosi refrained from commenting as his office had not been informed of the complaint by the public protector’s office.