Trustees of Brett Kebble’s estate have issued notices of demand to the African National Congress (ANC) to repay millions it had received from the slain mining magnate, the Sunday Times reported.
The notices, issued in November after in-camera sequestration hearings, demanded the return of ”R24-million in stolen money paid to the ANC and leading members from Kebble’s personal account between 2002 and 2005”.
Both the ANC and the Democratic Alliance were recipients of money Kebble had stolen from shareholders, the newspaper said.
The trustees had demanded R2,4-million from the ANC in the Western Cape, R750, 00 from the ANC in the Eastern Cape, R6-million from the ANC Youth League, R14-million from youth league member Lunga Ncwana and R860 000 from league committee member Songezo Mjongile.
The ANC did not want to repay the money and had appointed lawyers to negotiate with the trustees, the newspaper said.
Four senior ANC officials were questioned about the Kebble money at a secret sequestration hearing at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court last August.
The ANC told the hearing that the money was a donation and not refundable, the report said.
The party argued that Kebble received an indirect benefit in that his mining company was seen as sympathetic to the ANC, which he used to his advantage in pursuing black economic empowerment transactions.
The trustees were not convinced by the explanation and demanded that the money be paid back.
Ncwana told trustees that he used part of the R14-million to buy two properties in Cape Town — one for himself for R4,7-million and one for his mother for R1,2-million.
He said the balance was paid to the ANC Youth League to organise its national conference in 2004.
Ncwana and Mjongile said they were entitled to receive the money as payment for services rendered to Kebble’s company JCI.
They were among 29 people raided by the Scorpions last week.
The newspaper said the Scorpions had turned their attention to payments made to political parties.
When asked to comment, ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama told the South African Press Association: ”I know nothing about that — the ANC wouldn’t be able to comment on that.”
When asked about the senior party officials reportedly at the sequestration hearing, Ngonyama said it was ”a matter of individuals” that had got ”nothing to do with the ANC”.
DA spokesperson James Selfe said his party had been approached by the trustees and had repaid R250 000 that it had received.
”We were satisfied that the money had been received improperly and we have repaid the money in full and final settlement to the trustees.”
The money had been received from a front company that ”was quite clearly the recipient of money that had been improperly taken from JCI and other companies”.
”We simply decided to pay the money back.” — Sapa