Hawks probe Zuma for R1m bribe

Former president Jacob Zuma is being investigated by the Hawks for allegedly accepting a R1-million cash bribe from a Western Cape abalone dealer in exchange for keeping Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana in his Cabinet.

In an affidavit deposed at the Lyttelton Police Station in Centurion in December, businessman Chaile Seretse further alleges that Zokwana, union federation Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini and agriculture department deputy director-general Siphokazi Ndudane each received a R300 000 bribe from the same businessman ― Deon Larry – who is also a convicted child molester.

Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi this week confirmed that the Hawks were investigating the bribery claims against Zuma, Zokwana, Dlamini and Ndudane.

“These are quite serious allegations. And the matter is being looked at by the Hawks’ serious corruption and serious economic offences units.

“It is still at an inquiry stage, but based on the allegations made, it looks like a docket will be opened up soon. And once the investigation is completed, we will hand over the docket to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to decide what to do,” said Mulaudzi.

Seretse, the chief operating officer at abalone processing company Willjarro in Gaansbaai, alleges that the bribe was orchestrated by Ndudane, James Booi and Fryman Baaitjies to prevent Zuma from removing Zokwana from his Cabinet shortly after the local government elections in 2016. Booi and Baaitjies, who are also based in Gaansbaai, have interests in fishing and abalone processing.

“I joined the Gaansbaai confiscated abalone processing project in December 2016. During the course of the project, it came to my attention that James Booi and Fryman Baaitjies received an amount of R1.9-million from Deon Larry,” said Seretse.

“This money was going to be used to bribe the president not to reshuffle the minister … after the local elections of August 2016.

“James, Fryman and Siphokazi did not want Zokwana to be reshuffled because he had a transformation agenda that he was going to implement through them. That would also include raising about R30-million for the ANC through [a] fisheries project.”

Seretse alleges that Dlamini used his influence with and knowledge of Zuma and Zokwana to set up the meeting. After that, he claims that, in August 2016, Booi and Ndudane rented a car from the Dollar Thrifty rental company in Durban to drive to Nkandla to deliver the cash to Zuma.

“Sdumo Dlamini was given R300 000 for facilitating the meeting. Siphokazi was given R300 000 from the bribery money as well. Minister Zokwana also received R300 000 from the total bribery amount,” Seretse’s affidavit states.

This week, Seretse told City Press that his affidavit supplemented information he shared with the Hawks last year after he became aware of the alleged bribe.

In his affidavit, he says he “encouraged James and Fryman to come clean and give statements to the Hawks. I facilitated for them to give statements to Brigadier Oliver. Brigadier Oliver is in possession of those statements.”

Fraud on another front

The allegations come at a time when Larry, a representative of Shamode Trading and Investments, which is owned by his daughter Monique Larry, is locked in a court battle with Booi, Baaitjies, Cape Town-based Advocate Shaheen Moolla and two companies, Global Pact Trading 193 and Quota Holding Company.

In papers filed in July last year in the Western Cape High Court, Larry alleges that Booi and Moolla, in his personal capacity and as a representative of Quota, stole R2.5-million from Shamode in an elaborate fraudulent scheme.

He alleges that, on August 3 2016, he handed Baaitjies R1.9-million in cash and deposited a further R600 000 two weeks later into the account of Baaitjies’ company, Global Pact Trading. The money, he contends, was meant as start-up funds for a new joint venture intended to harvest rock lobster along the east coast after obtaining fishing rights from Zokwana’s department.

Larry argues that he bought into the idea because Moolla and Booi led him to believe that the department would give them fishing permits.

In March last year, after the realising the department would not give them the permits, Larry demanded his R2.5-million back, claiming he had been defrauded.

But, in responding papers, Moolla, Booi and Baaitjies say the allegation is “outlandish”.

They also question why Larry would hand R1.9-million cash to Baaitjies, who was not party to any agreement.

“No reasonable businessperson would pay an amount of R1.9-million to an unauthorised person before any written agreement between the parties.”The three agree that Larry paid R600 000 to Baaitjies’ Global Pact Trading business account, but say it was because he was in business with him.

Seretse says Larry’s court case is a smoke screen.

“He wants his money back. He thought he would be given an abalone processing tender by bribing officials,” he said.

Seretse said the agriculture department had given the tender Larry was eyeing to his company, Willjarro, in December 2016. But the tender, which was to process 90 tons of abalone, is now the subject of another court case because Zokwana cancelled it in January last year, arguing that it had been wrongfully awarded.

In response to emailed questions, Larry said the information was contained in court papers.

“The further intentions of the two gentlemen were unknown to us at the time. They are in the best position to respond to you as to what they did with the money.”

THE RECORDING

Meanwhile, a voice recording City Press obtained of a recent conversation between Booi and Willjarro chief executive Gershom Ramazan appears to confirm the bribery plot.

Ramazan confirmed the conversation between himself and Booi, but refused to comment further. Booi, who also refused to comment, said he could not listen to the recording as he could not open it on his cellphone.

In the recording, the voice purported to be Booi’s can be heard saying: “I’m sitting in court every day with Larry, with that money for Nkandla and stuff.”

Ramazan can be heard saying: “You know, just on that thing, you know how Deon Larry looks me in the eye, in the face, and he says to me … and I said: ‘You knew that money was going to Nkandla, why are you putting pressure on these people? It’s not like they ate the money.’ He says to me [that] you and Fryman ate the money, you never gave the money to the president. You never gave money to Siphokazi; even Siphokazi says you never gave her money.”

Booi then responds: “But they know the truth … I’ve got enough on my side to throw them under a truck …Some of the places where we go, there is cameras, bra. That is why I’ve got specific dates in my head, you understand what I’m saying? For instance, there is nothing that stops me from asking [for] the record of the specific date and time on the place where we hired the car. I mean, at Nkandla at the gate, that report is there.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Baaitjies and Dlamini declined to comment. Vukile Mathabela, who received the questions on behalf of Zuma, failed to respond to questions sent to him more than a week ago.