/ 28 June 2005

Harksen scandal man gets a top DA job

The man who illegally processed cash for the Democratic Alliance that may have come from now-jailed fraudster Jurgen Harksen has been appointed the party’s provincial director in the Western Cape.

Erik Marais paid a R10 000 fine in 2003 for violating foreign exchange regulations, and lost his job as an Absa manager, after his role was exposed in hearings of the Desai commission of inquiry.

The commission heard that then DA provincial leader Gerald Morkel gave him DM55 000 with instructions to deal with it confidentially.

Marais took more than half of this money with him on a trip to The Netherlands where he converted it to rands, and then deposited it into the DA’s account over several months.

The commission found that this money probably came from Harsken, who has since been jailed for fraud in Germany.

Marais confirmed on Tuesday that he had been appointed to the provincial director’s post in a temporary capacity, until after the local government elections planned for later this year.

He said it was an administrative position, and would involve processing the nomination of councillors and ”a lot of paper work”.

He declined to say what he had been doing previously.

Asked whether the deutschmarks affair should not disqualify him from the post, he said that was ”past tense”.

”There was only a fine of R10 000. I’ve paid the fine,” he said.

”It’s like you’re driving over the limit in a 60km/h zone and you pay a fine. I’ve got no criminal record … it’s all over.”

He said he had been made a ”scapegoat” at the time, and whoever was seeking to stir up controversy over his new appointment was guilty of a ”low blow”.

DA provincial leader Theuns Botha was not immediately available for comment, but he was quoted by the Cape Times newspaper as saying Marais had ”paid his dues”, and asked whether he should have a sword over his head for the rest of his life.

”He is very capable, a nice person and I like him.” – Sapa