Mpumalanga Premier Thabang Makwetla has terminated the contract of the provincial director general advocate Stanley Soko, who has been implicated in a bribery scandal involving a multimillion-rand tender.
Lebona Mosia, the provincial government spokesperson, confirmed this week that Makwetla would not renew Soko’s contract when it expires at the end of September.
The decision came after testimony in court that Soko privately received payments totalling R200 000 from Rainbow Kwanda, a communication company linked to former City Press editor Vusi Mona.
Rainbow was awarded a R30-million contract by the provincial government in June 2003 for services including advertising, marketing, public relations and media liaison.
The contract prompted an inquiry by City Press owner Media24 into possible conflicts of interest involving Mona, who reportedly held shares in Rainbow Kwanda and participated in its consulting services to Mpumalanga government agencies while City Press editor.
Mona resigned from the newspaper after Media24 concluded there had been a conflict of interest.
Soko has been under a cloud of suspicion since he authorised payment of more than R3,6-million to Rainbow Kwanda before any services in terms of the contract had been rendered.
This payment was later found by the provincial auditor general to contravene Treasury regulations.
The M&G is in possession of a letter to First National Bank, dated August 12 2003, signed by Soko and the chief director of corporate services, JS Dlamini, authorising the payment of R3 686 586 from the premier’s office account to Zanmoss Technologies, trading as Rainbow Kwanda Communications.
The provincial government approved the Rainbow Kwanda contract on June 18, and the company was to start work on July 1. The auditor general found that Rainbow Kwanda received the payment prematurely.
Allegations about Soko were made by Moss Mashamaite, one of the directors of Rainbow Kwanda and now a state witness in the trial of former scorpions investigator Cornwell Tshavhungwa. Mashamaite testified in court recently that he personally paid R200 000 to Soko as part of an amount of R1-million which Soko demanded as compensation for his help in awarding the tender to Rainbow Kwanda.
According to Mashamaite, Soko demanded a monthly payment of R100 000 to keep the contract alive. But the deal went sour when Mashamaite and Mona agreed to pay Soko R65 000, as they could not afford to pay the R100 000 installment Soko demanded.
Soko this week denied the allegations made by Mashamaite, and that his contract was terminated as a result of the scandal.”I am exhausted. I have been in the public service for 20 years. I want to rest,” Soko said. He challenged Mashamaite to produce proof that he paid him a bribe of R200 000.
Soko said he personally cancelled the Rainbow Kwanda contract last year after it was breached over the marketing of a provincial event.
But, he was contradicted by Mosia, who told the M&G that Makwetla had cancelled the Rainbow Kwanda contract after he picked up the irregularity from the auditor general’s report.