South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been urged to probe the financial links between its youth league and the late Brett Kebble, who was killed in his car in Johannesburg in September last year.
In a statement on Tuesday, Democratic Alliance (DA) finance spokesperson Ian Davidson said an alarming scandal had erupted from court papers filed by Randgold & Exploration that implicated Kebble and at least three ANC Youth
League (Ancyl) heavyweights ”in outright fraud”.
”The Ancyl-Kebble connection has now gone beyond the realms of mere crony capitalism and into outright criminality. It seems fitting that the Ancyl’s parent body, the ANC, now look into the activities of the Ancyl’s leadership with a view to preventing further embarrassment and maintaining its election promise of rooting out corruption.”
Davidson noted that in 2003 Randgold & Exploration sold 20% of itself to a company called Phikoloso in an empowerment deal put together by Kebble. As part of this deal a company owned by Phikoloso (Equitant) sold another company (Viking Pony) for R268-million worth of Randgold & Exploration shares.
Viking Pony, which was supposed to hold shares and other assets, in fact owned no assets whatsoever according to court paper’s filed by Randgold, Davidson said.
Shares received by Equitant, and another company involved with the deal — Itsuseng — were therefore received fraudulently, he noted.
Davidson noted that the three ANC Youth League heavyweights connected to the scandal were Lunga Ncwana, Songezo Mjongile and Andile Nkuhlu.
”Equitant is headed by Lunga Ncwana and Ancyl national executive member Songezo Mjongile. Itsuseng is headed by Lunga Ncwana and Andile Nkuhlu.
The official opposition noted that when the Mail & Guardian exposed the Ancyl’s extensive business interests in 2004, ANC Youth League leader Fikile Mbalula’s response was as follows: ”It remains unclear to us why allegations relating to … Mjongile, Nkuhlu and Ncwana are linked to the ANC Youth League. It is only proper for the journalist to engage with them and establish the truth rather than seek cheap glory by making wild allegations …”
They also pointed out that the scandal directly involved only two of the 48 members of the Ancyl national executive committee and accused the Mail & Guardian newspaper of having a counter-revolutionary agenda, Davidson noted.
”In case there is any misunderstanding the DA would like to point out how this latest scandal involves the Ancyl,” said Davidson.
Top Ancyl leadership had been implicated in an enormous fraud, and if the affidavit filed by Randgold & Exploration is accurate, should be liable for criminal prosecution, he noted.
”Rather than winking at this corruption, the Ancyl must now expel anyone found guilty of wrongdoing and condemn any alleged corruption unequivocally. In light of the seriousness of these allegation the DA also believes that implicated players be suspended until their guilt or innocence is established.
”The Ancyl must also assure the public that the organisation did not itself benefit financially from the alleged fraud,” he argued. – I-Net Bridge