In his weekly letter as ANC president, he wrote that the Gauteng provincial government had handled the process of awarding the contract to the Bombela consortium, in which two Cabinet Ministers, a deputy Minister and the National Assembly speaker had shares, in its entirety.
“The national government was drawn into this matter simply because it became obvious that the Gauteng provincial government would not have the resources to implement the Gautrain project.”
Mbeki was reacting to various allegations of corruption among the ANC leadership and the abuse of State power for the benefit of individuals. Following a media report that senior ANC members stood to benefit from the multibillion-rand Gautrain project, ANC's leadership was the subject of criticism from various parties, including the media, opposition parties, such as the Democratic Alliance and the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
Weekly newspaper Sunday Times published an article on December 3 that alleged that Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Education Minister Naledi Pandor, Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge and National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete would benefit from the Gautrain project and that the two Cabinet Ministers were present in a meeting that approved the project last December.
Mapisa-Nqakula and Mbete reportedly owned shares in Dyambu Holdings, a female-led investment group, and Pandor in Black Management Forum Investments (BFMI). The two companies formed part of a group of 18 companies that represented the Strategic Partners Group - the Bombela consortium's empowerment partner.
“How anybody could come to the conclusion that any of the thousands of individual shareholders in these 18 companies could make a killing from the Gautrain contract beats all understanding,” Mbeki said.
He stated that Dyambu's founding members, Mapisa-Nqakula and Mbete, had not had any contact with Dyambu since the year 2000 and that they did not have any share certificates, owing to internal problems in the company. Mbeki noted that Mapisa-Nqakula and Mbete had established a trust to receive the profits from Dyambu, but stated that it had “absolutely nothing to do with transforming the women ANC leaders into capitalists”.
Moreover, he reported that Pandor bought shares in BFMI long before she came into government.
“…like thousands of other black shareholders, Naledi Pandor holds a tiny fraction of the issued share capital of BFMI and would be exceedingly foolish to expect that the dividends that might, one day, flow from her minute ownership of BFMI could buy her even a month's supply of brown bread.”
Mbeki concluded that the accusers of the ANC were determined to project the ANC as “being nothing more than a cabal of mercenary politicians, posing as liberation fighters”.
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
