SACP accused of ‘witch-hunt’ against Madisha

Controversial businessperson Charles Modise, being held in prison in Kimberley, said this week that he was arrested as part of a larger political conspiracy to discredit besieged Cosatu president Willie Madisha.

He said in a fax from prison this week that he was arrested with the help of the head of the detectives in Gauteng, commissioner Norman Taioe, ‘so that I am unable to furnish more evidence on the case he is investigating — the missing R500 000 — donated to the South African Communist Party [SACP]”.

During the Jacob Zuma rape trial, High Court Judge Willem van der Merwe, criticised Taioe’s handling of the case. ‘It is believed he conducted sloppy police work which benefited Zuma and led to his acquittal, making him appear to be a Zuma and SACP sympathiser. Given his background, one wonders what will become of the investigations of the missing R500 000 which he is heading,” Modise wrote.

This week axed former SACP treasurer Phillip Dexter came out in support of Madisha after the SACP issued a statement saying that it could find no ‘credible evidence that such a donation ever existed”. Madisha’s case had been referred to the national disciplinary committee of the SACP.

Madisha was instructed by Cosatu’s central executive committee not to speak to the media and refused to comment.

‘Three other people have made affidavits to the police confirming that Modise indeed gave the cash to Madisha, who then handed it over to [Blade] Nzimande inside a hotel room at the Sunny Side Park Hotel in Johannesburg,” Dexter said.

Modise’s driver, a sub-contractor working with Modise, and a third person who does not want to be identified are the three witnesses to the exchange. ‘The task team’s report is biased and they’ve made a political finding — not a finding based on fact,” Dexter said. He said the SACP was conducting a witch-hunt against Madisha.

Dexter said the SACP task team released its report simply to have a finding ready for the Cosatu meeting. ‘They’ve announced that there will be a forensic audit, but how will that help when the money in question was paid in cash? They need to do a lifestyle audit,” Dexter said.

The SACP task team consisted of SACP treasurer Phumulo Masualle, the National Union of Mineworkers’ Frans Baleni and the National Education and Health Workers’ Union’s Fikile Majolo. A senior South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union official said the two unionists on the task team pushed for Madisha to be removed at the Cosatu central committee meeting this week.