Jacob Zuma former SA president says Madikizele-Mandela never sold out

DURBAN –  Jacob Zuma former SA president says that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela remained committed to the struggle and never sold out.

Zuma addressed thousands at the KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress (ANC)’s memorial of the struggle icon.

He says that his attendance was as an ordinary branch member, despite his presence seemingly having led to deputy president David Mabuza no longer coming to the province as planned.

ANC deputy secretary-general Jesse Duarte replaced Mabuza as the keynote speaker at the event.

Despite the gathering having meant to be about Madikizela-Mandela, speaker after speaker made it a point to give a special mention to Zuma, his current court case and how he is being persecuted.

ANC NEC member Edna Molewa took it a step further by drawing parallels between the late veteran’s life and that of Zuma.

Molewa says that the recent documentary on Madikizela-Mandela’s life is disturbing because it shows how lies were spread which caused great suffering while her own comrades turned their backs on her.

Without mentioning his name, Molewa suggested that Zuma is facing the same level of persecution and the documentary should serve as a wake-up call for the current comrades.

Plot to destroy #WinnieMandela exposed

Johannesburg - In the week that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is being laid to rest, South Africans are finally being told the truth about the Stompie Seipei saga, and the massive Security Branch operation to discredit and isolate her.

For the first time South Africans will be able to view Pascale Lamche’s award-winning documentary Winnie tonight on eNCA, which exposes the extent of the apartheid regime’s Machiavellian plan to neutralise her as a political force.

“We will destroy that woman,” were the words of General Hendrik van den Bergh, head of the intelligence apparatus in the 1960s and '70s.

In the documentary, the director of Stratcom (Covert Strategic Communications) Vic McPherson reveals the details of Operation Romulus - a counter-revolutionary strategy which had Madikizela-Mandela as its primary target.

The goal was to discredit her to such an extent that she would be isolated and eliminated from the inner circle of the ANC.

Aware that it was losing power, the National Party wanted a centrist ANC to emerge, which meant that it needed to delegitimise the radical wing of the ANC personified by figures such as Madikizela-Mandela, Chris Hani, Harry Gwala and Peter Mokaba.

“I already had 40 journalists working directly or indirectly for me. So through them I could have specific reports placed in the newspapers, and it would be front page,” McPherson boasts.

“I made a documentary film through the SABC of course that I flogged to America, and it was shown on 40 different channels. And that led to her being declared an international terrorist.”

In a stunning confession on Monday, former Security Branch policeman Paul Erasmus, who worked for Stratcom, further outlined how the smear campaign worked, saying: “I would drop letters to the local and international press about Winnie being a hopeless drunkard, unstable and having relationships with everyone that came along. On the political side, it was to drive divisions between her and the ANC.”

The most shocking revelation of Erasmus this week was his claim that the entire Mandela Football Club were informers working for the Security Branch.

“This included Winnie’s aide-de-camp Xoliswa Falati,” Erasmus said.

Jerry Richardson, the coach of the Mandela Football Club, who was charged and sentenced for Stompie’s murder, admitted at the time of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he was a Security Branch informer.

“Jerry Richardson found out about Stompie, and Stompie was told about him, and it was very possible that the Security Branch in Soweto poured petrol on the fire and let them destroy each other,” Erasmus said

Not only had the football club become a dangerous gang of agents provocateurs, but the propaganda smear-campaign had been highly effective, as Murphy Morobe announced in early 1989 that the Mass Democratic Movement was distancing itself from Madikizela-Mandela, and directly linked her to Seipei’s death.

In the 1991 trial, Katiza Cebek- hulu, who had been in the Mandela Football Club, was Madikizela-Mandela’s co-accused and later made criminal accusations against her at the TRC in 1997. Cebekhulu claimed she had stabbed Seipei twice with a shiny object, but the TRC found him to be an unreliable witness with inconsistencies in his testimony.

According to Erasmus, he was working for the Security Branch.

The documentary also provides footage of Cebekhulu having been taken under the wing of conservative British MP Baroness Emma Nicholson, living with her in Britain, where she worked with him on drafting the book Katiza’s Journey. The book was a damning condemnation of Madikizela-Mandela, allegedly inspired by the Security Branch.

The documentary shows footage of Richardson being transported to the TRC from prison and walking into the TRC carrying the book Katiza’s Journey.

According to the documentary’s director, Falati also walked into the TRC carrying the book, prior to making wild accusations that Madikizela-Mandela was responsible for various murders, including that of Seipei.

The other explosive allegation made in the Winnie documentary is that in the new democratic dispensation, the commissioner of police had taken the head of the Murder and Robbery Squad, Henk Heslinga, to meet the new safety and security minister, Sydney Mufamadi.

While the documentary says Heslinga went to see Mufamadi in 1994, the director has since said it was actually 1995 when Heslinga claims then police commissioner George Fivaz took him to see Mufamadi.

“The minister told me we must restart the investigation into all cases on Winnie Mandela From Stompie right through to try to get evidence so that she can be tried for murder,” Heslinga claims in the documentary.

“The minister gave us carte blanche money wise, logistics wise and said we can travel throughout the world,” Heslinga said.

Mufamadi has refused to comment on the record in response to the allegations.

In a recent interview, Fivaz claims he ordered the reopening of the investigation into Madikizela-Mandela as a result of pressure by former DA leader Tony Leon.

“Leon requested that the investigation be reopened due to new evidence suggesting (Winnie) Mandela was directly involved in the assault and murder of Stompie Seipei,” Fivaz said.

The finding of the independent task team was that there was no evidence of Madikizela-Mandela’s role in Seipei’s murder, and Fivaz reported this to the TRC in 1997.

In the documentary, Madikizela- Mandela suggests that the subpoena for her to testify at the TRC was linked to her nomination for deputy president of the ANC.

“The subpoena could have been served last year It was an unhealthy coincidence in my mind that this must happen a few days before the national conference. To me, it suggests that it is part and parcel of that agenda,” Madikizela-Mandela said at the TRC.

“I was the only one in the ANC who was taken to the TRC by her own government,” she said. “I was seething with rage he (Tutu) was acting there for the public, acting for Stratcom.”

Winnie will be aired on Wednesday night on eNCA at 9pm

#ZolaSkweyiya was ‘gentle, but also tough'

Cape Town - In both the Simon’s Town Museum and the Simon’s Town Heritage Museum there are press cuttings of Zola Skweyiya. He is regarded as a proud son of the town now.

But it wasn’t always like that.

Skweyiya’s lifelong fight against injustice began in Simon’s Town itself.

To the apartheid National Party, he and the 1500 residents of Luyolo township, on the outskirts of the town - like the coloured community in the town itself - were a blight on the landscape.

They had to be moved - and the quicker the better.

In those tragic years of divide and rule, it was far easier for the apartheid apparatchiks to get rid of the African community than coloured people: for one, they did not need a Group Areas Act to remove them.

Instead, they had a battery of nearly 20 laws which they could use at will to forcibly remove African people from where they were living - and they showed many times that they were prepared to ruthlessly use these laws.

One of these, the Black Prohibition of Interdicts Act, was promulgated to stop anyone who was under threat of removal to seek the protection of the courts - even if it was apparent that the government was acting beyond its powers.

Moreover, if the government believed in calling in the help of the army to move communities of people, no news of such a development could be published in terms of laws preventing the disclosure of the movement of the country’s armed forces.

In 1965, two years before the coloured people of Ocean View were moved 15km away to what was then known as Slangkop, Luyolo was shut down and its residents moved to the far-off township of Gugulethu - in a day.

Long before these forced removals, Skweyiya had already been spurred into action by the injustices all around him. He was determined to resist the attempts by the National Party to turn black people into non-persons.

Always a caring, sensitive person - and influenced by Congress politics at school in the Eastern Cape and the Cape Town suburb of Retreat - he joined the ANC in 1956 while still a pupil.

Following the Pass Law protests and forced to regroup and re-strategise after their banning, together with the Pan-Africanist Congress and the Communist Party of South Africa, the ANC began moving key members out of the country - and into exile.

Skweyiya was one of them.

In 1963, he slipped out of South Africa en route to Tanzania and Zambia, where he stayed for many years, serving the ANC in a number of capacities.

Later, he travelled to East Germany to study for a degree in law at Leipzig University, where he graduated in 1978.

Former social development minister ANC veteran Zola Skweyiya. Picture: Paballo Thekiso/Independent Media Archives

After graduating he returned to Africa, where he threw all his energies into building up the ANC into a strong, international political force. He was a leading light in setting up an ANC office in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. In 1982, he was the ANC representative at the Organisation of African Unity, the forerunner to the African Union.

Later, the organisation called him to Lusaka, in Zambia, to set up its Legal and Constitutional Department.

After his return to South Africa in 1990, he continued to head this department from Joburg.

His expertise in the legal field made him an obvious choice to head the ANC’s Constitution Committee, after the negotiations that began following the defeat of apartheid.

He also chaired that committee and played a “critical role” in the constitutional negotiations.

Though described by some as a “gentle giant”, he was a tough negotiator who was never afraid to speak his mind. He represented the ANC with distinction at Codesa, and was regarded with respect in talks with the ANC’s alliance partners, the legal fraternity and civil society groups.

He also represented the ANC at the Human Rights Commission at the UN.

In many ways, Skweyiya was a rare breed of politician.

Throughout his long career in politics, not once was there a hint of scandal about him - and it was during his watch as minister that the Department of Social Development became one of the most respected departments in the fight against poverty.

In his 10 years as minister, it was he who conceptualised child grants and the formation of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa).

He also served as minister of public service and administration and as South African High Commissioner to the UK.

He had an endearing honesty about him - and when he started criticising the corruption in the ANC under Jacob Zuma, party members listened to him respectfully - and, indeed, agreed with him.

As far back as 2016 he called for Zuma to step down, stating at the same time that he believed the ANC was out of step with the aspirations of ordinary South Africans.

Early this year, Zuma was removed as ANC president before his term of office had expired.

Skweyiya, who had been ill for a long time, died in hospital in Pretoria on Wednesday, just a few days short of his 76th birthday.

Road closures for Jacob Zuma's court appearance

Durban - A number of roads will be closed on Friday, as hundreds of people are expected to converge in Durban for a night vigil in preparation for the former president Jacob Zuma’s court appearance at the Durban High Court. The vigil is expected to take place on Thursday night. Zuma is set to appear in court on Friday. 

According to Superintendent Glen Naidoo of Metro Police, they are expecting 2 000 people to attend the event at the King Dinuzulu Park for an interfaith prayer from 6pm.

Participants are expected to depart from Albert Park to High Court on Friday.

"The court proceeding is expected to start timeously at 9:30am at the Durban High Court on Margaret Mncadi Avenue (Victoria Embankment). The court can only accommodate 40 people . The balance of the supporters will be accommodated at the grassy area on Margaret Mncadi Avenue, opposite the court," he said.

Extensive traffic jams can be expected and Ndlovu said several roads will be closed due to the march while some road will suffer from “knock on effects”.

Ndlovu said Margaret Mncadi Avenue [westbound] will be closed to traffic from Joe Slovo Street (Field).

“The eastbound section will be closed on instruction from the Officer-In-Charge. The public is however urged to treat Margaret Mncadi Avenue as closed, between Joe Slovo (Field) Street and Joseph Nduli (Russell) Street. This, because the sheer numbers of people, including those who will be coming from a March that’s scheduled to proceed from King Dinuzulu Gardens could spill over from the ‘grassy area’ on the Bay side, onto the roadway, both directions,” he said.

Ndlovu urged motorists to plan their journey ahead of time and stay away from the court precinct.

He said among the disruption routes that the public should avoid is M4 (Ruth First) highway, Dorothy Nyembe (Gardiner) Street, West (Dr Pixley KaSeme) Street, Stalwart Simelane (Stanger) Street and surrounds.

“We also know that about 100 DA members were also expected to picket close to the court.

The SAPS, the Metro Police and and members of the EMRS will be deployed to the area for any eventuality,” he said.

According to Metro Police head, Commissioner Steve Middleton, they have granted organisers of the vigil permission  to march on Friday the morning towards the Durban High Court.

SA Jewish bodies back Black Coffee over Tel Aviv concert

Cape Town - The fascist tendencies of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) South Africa and the ANC have been exposed over DJ Black Coffee's performance in Israel, says the South African Zionist Federation.

The organisation has condemned the ANC and BDS for accusing the internationally-renowned DJ of violating a cultural boycott which SAZF's Ben Swartz says is "non-existent".

On Tuesday the ANC called for a cultural boycott of Israel after expressing disappointment in Black Coffee for his sell-out Easter Weekend concert in Tel Aviv.

"The BDS campaign is failing around the world with artists such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, Ziggy Marley, Die Antwoord, Loyiso Bala, Rolling Stones, Alicia Keys, Jason Derulo, Jon Bon Jovi, Craig David, Steve Aoki, Nick Cave, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, OneRepublic, amongst many others, having all performed there in just the last while. Having failed to convince anyone to follow them, the ANC and BDS have all too typically tried instead to undermine their freedom of association through intimidation and abuse. They have sought to exploit these musicians for their own narrow agendas instead of encouraging them to use their music as a universal language and a tool for peace and unity," the SAZF said.

"The South African Friends of Israel condemn such statements, which does absolutely nothing for the Palestinian people, but rather defames and violates the rights of South Africans," said Swartz.

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has always thrown its support behind the artist, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo.

"Imposing a boycott against Israel over and above every other country in the world is itself immoral and inconsistent with how South Africa normally conducts its foreign policy. Prejudice rather than any genuine concern for human rights is what appears to be behind this decision," the SAJBD said.

Holomisa says call for him and Malema to rejoin ANC is a ‘big no’

Several top ANC officials came out this weekend saying they want EFF leader Julius Malema back in the party.

The ANC’s pre-election strategy appears to include attempts at wooing opposition leaders, and possibly their supporters, to rejoin the party fold.

President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday became the latest top ANC leader in a single weekend to say he wants the EFF leader Julius Malema back in the ANC.

This amid pre-Cabinet reshuffle rumours that Ramaphosa intended to include the opposition parties in his administration now or after the 2019 election.

Other ANC leaders who made similar statements over the weekend were Deputy President David Mabuza, party head of elections Fikile Mbalula, and struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. They all said they would like to see Malema rejoin the ANC, with Mabuza extending the invitation to UDM leader Bantu Holomisa.

Speaking during a voter registration walkabout in Pretoria yesterday, Ramaphosa told the SABC: “In fact, I should be able to say we would like to have Julius Malema back in the ANC, he is still the ANC down deep in his heart. So we would love to have those in the EFF back in the ANC, the ANC is their home.”

Holomisa, however, immediately dismissed the ANC gesture.

“It’s a big no. I am not ready to surrender my liberty. The role I play outside of the ANC as part of opposition can be seen by all.

“Who would have made Zuma and the ANC to account for its corruption if we did not challenge it?” Holomisa said. “By bringing us inside the ANC, they want to silence us. Experience shows that one-party dominance breeds corruption, and that has been the case in South Africa over the last ten years,” Holomisa added.

However, Holomisa said he would only agree to assist the ANC when there was a matter of national importance on the table, such as the land question, addressing unemployment and professionalisation of the civil service, among other things.

“They can invite us on such matters, but we don’t have to join the ANC on these issues,” Holomisa said.

Political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni said the ANC’s gesture to Malema and Holomisa was not surprising, as indications were clear that a coalition of some sort was in the pipeline in the near future.

“I do think that some kind of repositioning, where some parties might be trying to deal with certain issues is under way. Parties with liberation credentials might want to come together as issues now turn to the socio-economic environment.

“These parties might want to co-operate without being absorbed by others. They might want to work with the ruling party, and might be offered certain positions, which may not necessarily be limited to cabinet posts,” Fikeni said.

The opposition parties may not indicate their clear and final positions at this early stage.

“As the 2019 elections are close, it will be suicidal for any party to surrender to the ANC, but they might want to strategically wait until the right moment, perhaps after the election, before they accept any proposal from the ANC,” Fikeni said.

At the weekend, Madikizela-Mandela said she would speak to the EFF’s Malema to return to the ANC. Madikizela is a close associate of the EFF leader and she was also an ally and interacted with Holomisa to organise the reburial of the ANC’s King Sabata Dalindyebo in Transkei in 1989.

Both Malema and Holomisa were expelled separately from the ANC before they established their own parties.

The ANC, along with the UDM and other parties, supported the recent EFF motion on the expropriation of land without compensation.

The ANC also promised to back the pending EFF motion to oust the DA Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor, Athol Trollip. Neither the EFF leader nor his party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi could be reached for comment yesterday.

ANC councillor found guilty of fraud and money Laundering

AN ANC Nelson Mandela Bay councillor was found guilty of fraud and money laundering.

Bongo Nombiba (41) appeared in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court on Friday.

He was bust by the Hawks in 2016 for defrauding the municipality of R20 000, which was meant for the Thulamangwane Community Project, an NGO which cares for the elderly.

He was charged with fraud, two counts of corruption and money laundering.

He was acquitted of the two charges of corruption.

The NGO’s secretary Zukiswa Mbhem and deputy chairwoman Mandisa Monco approached Nombiba to request a donation of R10 000 from the municipality in 2014.

The councillor instructed them to put their request in writing but not to mention the amount they had requested.

Nombiba then motivated for R30 000 which was paid into the NGO’s Standard Bank account on 4 November 2014.

Two days later, the request was approved and Nombiba convinced them that R20 000 from the R30 000 was his.

Handing down judgment, Magistrate Johannes Claasen said: “During the cross examination, Nombiba was evasive when he was asked to explain his side of the story. The testimony of the State’s witnesses was reliable and consistent.”

Classen postponed the case to 26 April for sentencing.

'Dlamini must account for alleged R500k paid to SABC for interview'

Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance said it was "astounded" by allegations that the Department of Social Development (DSD) had paid the SABC half a million rand to do a "fluff" interview with Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini. 

Earlier on Wednesday, reports emerged that the department had paid the South African Broadcasting Corporation R500 000 to hold a two-hour interview with the minister.

According to Daily Maverick, the interview was masterminded by her spokesperson Lumka Oliphant, who was also interviewed. and was an attempt to "humanise" and "white-wash" Dlamini using public funds. 

The interview was conducted by Anele Mdoda, host of the SABC 3 Real Talk with Anele.

Oliphant is reported as saying the department was entitled to pay for interviews conducted by the media and that this was done through the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). 

This was done as a way to market and advertise the department as well as the minister. 

The DA Shadow Minister of Social Development Bridget Masango in a statement said if there was any truth to the allegations, Dlamini must personally pay back the money.

"It is shocking that the DSD had the audacity to supposedly use public money for an interview. The DSD is mandated to serve the poor, needy and vulnerable within our society, it is not mandated to use taxpayers' money to make floundering Ministers look good.

"Instead of improving her tarnished image, the Minister should be focussing on ensuring a smooth transition when the PostBank finally takes over the electronic payment of social grants on February 1, 2018."

Masango added: "The DA will now submit a range of parliamentary questions to get to the bottom of this likely abuse of taxpayers' money. The public deserves to know if the DSD did indeed pay for the interview. If that is the case the minister must pay back the money personally.

"It is clear that Minister Dlamini, like the rest of the ruling ANC, has lost touch with reality, the reality that 17 million South Africans depend on social grants."

EFF Expels Six COUNCILLORS!

The EFF has fired six of its councillors in the Mogale City council for voting with the ANC.

The EFF’s Central Command Team took this decision after they met on Saturday after the completion of a disciplinary process.

"On 11 July 2017, six EFF councillors contravened the EFF decision not to attend the Mogale City Budget-vote council meeting in which the ANC needed its budget to be passed. These councillors not only helped for a council meeting quorum to be constituted, they also voted in favour of the proposed ANC budget," said EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in a statement.

"The organisation took exception to this conduct as it returned the public purse in the hands of the ANC. This is the same ANC that the people of Mogale City removed from the government following the 2016 local government elections outcomes. It is the same ANC that has been looting the public purse since 1994 to the exclusion and marginalisation of our people."

According to Ndlozi, the mandate not to vote with the ANC is consistent with the "non-negotiable cardinal pillar number seven" – their policy position to fight corruption.  

"Thus these six councillors, namely Ms Nhlanhla Shilubane, Ms Nomonde Nkatu, Ms Lemogang Modisane, Mr Eric Baloyi, Mr Edward Motsitsi and Mr Simanga Mkhumbeni, essentially betrayed our revolutionary tenet. Accordingly they have been expelled," said Ndlozi.

He said the EFF Central Command Team confirmed the sentence the party’s National Disciplinary Committee, as required by the EFF’s code of conduct. 

"The six EFF councillors have the right to appeal, however, the expulsion sentence is in effect even when under appeal. The EFF will communicate with the Mogale City Municipal Manager so as to declare the six vacancies and so that the EFF can replace all the six councillors," said Ndlozi.

The EFF obtained nine seats in the Mogale municipal council, which has 77 seats, of which the ANC occupies 38. All nine EFF seats were obtained through the proportional party list, so the expulsion of the six councillors would not require by-elections.

How KPMG SA threw its new CEO to the wolves

Cape Town - When news broke that Nhlamu Dlomu had been appointed the first black female CEO of KPMG South Africa, this should have been viewed as a victory for transformation. 

Instead, Dlomu has been thrown into what must be the most intense firefight of her life as she tries to save the reputation of KPMG as clients leave in droves and Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts has it in its sights.

To add insult to injury, while Dlomu dodges bullets and tries to plug massive gaps, the executives that ‘resigned’ from the group in the wake of its Gupta and SARS scandal were paid severance packages – and no further action has yet been taken against them.

These executives including CEO Trevor Hoole, chief operating officer Steven Louw, chairperson Ahmed Jaffer and five others who don’t have to face the intense public scrutiny for now. 

It is Dlomu who has conveniently been slotted in and given the almost impossible task of saving the company.

D-day for embattled PIC boss

Johannesburg - Embattled Public Investment Corporation (PIC) boss Dan Matjila will have to put on a rearguard fight today as the board of the state pensions company meets in a crucial special meeting.

The Star understands that Matjila will have to fight off allegations of corruption in what is believed to be a smash-and-grab operation to make way for a Gupta acolyte to take over the organisation.

The PIC is understood to be the last state-owned entity (SOE) in the sights of the family, with the entity’s roughly R1.9trillion in investments - on behalf of the Government Employees’ Pension Fund - an alleged target of the Guptas.

According to internal PIC documents, seen by The Star, the allegations Matjila is expected answer to relate to a supposed flouting of policy and procedures in funding a project, linked to an alleged lover of his, worth R21million.

In an interview with The Star, the woman in question denied ever being romantically involved with Matjila or receiving money from the PIC.

Speaking to The Star on Thursday, PIC chairperson and Finance Deputy Minister Sfiso Buthelezi reiterated the stance taken by the National Treasury team - led by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba in the presence of Matjila - that the pensions fund was not about to be looted for nefarious purposes.

On the process followed in compiling the internal audit into Matjila, Buthelezi was emphatic: “The process followed (during the audit) is a process defined by the board. I am part of that collective and, as a result, I stand by that process.”

The Star also understands that there is a strong push to dismiss Matjila through this audit, where sources have revealed that it was commissioned despite the majority of the 14 board members accepting submissions made by the chief executive at a meeting earlier this month.

Buthelezi is said to have insisted on the audit, together with deputy chairperson Xolani Mkhwanazi.

But the deputy minister repudiated these contentions, saying he had no separate interests to that of the board.

“I reiterate, Sfiso Buthelezi will always be guided by the majority of that very professional board. My relationship with the chief executive, as far as I know, is a good one,” Buthelezi said.

The PIC’s “Gupta capture” was also rubbished by the family’s lawyer, Gert van der Merwe, who called these allegations “nonsense”.

“But, of course, gossip makes everything possible for people who want to believe it,” said Van der Merwe.

His comments came as efforts increased to curtail the Guptas’ operations, with a nationwide march on Wednesday by members of Cosatu to defend the PIC, among others.

On Thursday, Bianca Goodson, the former chief executive of the Gupta-linked consulting firm Trillian, released a trove of documents, which alleged corruption involving the Guptas.

These documents included her resignation letter, dated March 2016, where she wrote of the “exceptionally high risk” attendant with being associated with the Guptas and their associates as the reasons for leaving Trillian.

On Wednesday, Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini said they had written to Gigaba asking for a meeting to clarify the allegations that workers’ pension funds, particularly the Government Pension Investment Fund, would be used to bail out ailing state-owned enterprises.

Gigaba’s spokesperson, Mayihlome Tshwete, yesterday said the Treasury had made it clear that the PIC would not be funding state-owned companies.

“I don’t know if they will meet, but we are saying the story has been clarified that there is no need for such a meeting,” said Tshwete.

He said he felt it would be pointless for the two parties to meet about something that did not exist.

“Why have a meeting about the PIC investing in state-owned companies when no such investment plan exists? I’m not saying they won't meet, but this is a non-issue,” said Tshwete. “You will have to ask them (Cosatu) to clarify why they want to meet (the minister).”

Dlamini said yesterday that the labour federation had established a relationship with the finance minister and that Gigaba had addressed Cosatu’s central executive committee, where they had agreed that there would be “constant engagement on key issues”.

He said Gigaba had shown a “positive acceptance of the federation” since he had addressed Cosatu’s central executive committee, and the trade union wanted to strengthen the relationship.

Dlamini said they would take Gigaba’s word that the PIC was not going to be used to bail out underperforming state-owned enterprises, but they still wanted to have a discussion with him.

The PIC board meeting today and the march against state capture came as the Gupta empire continued to crumble.

Yesterday, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) announced it had dumped Eskom and Transnet, two of several SOEs allegedly captured by the Guptas.

BLSA chief executive Bonang Mohale announced yesterday that Eskom and Transnet had been suspended over allegations of state capture.

Mohale was briefing business in Cape Town on a plan to grow the economy and create jobs when he said the two companies would be suspended.

The suspension of Eskom and Transnet comes after the BLSA suspended the membership of KPMG last week over its role in converting R30million in wedding expenses for the Guptas into business expenses.

KPMG also withdrew the report it wrote on the SA Revenue Service's rogue report, which led to former finance minister Pravin Gordhan being pursued by the Hawks.

Addressing business in Cape Town, Mohale said they needed to fight state capture. He said they wanted to clean their house first and that was why they were suspending Eskom and Transnet.

In a statement later, Mohale said the two state-owned entities had been facing allegations of state capture.

He said both companies had failed to get their houses in order, and this led BLSA to suspend them.

But Transnet denied the suspension, saying it did not renew its membership.

Transnet spokesperson Molatwana Likhete said the statement by Mohale was misleading.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said they would continue to follow through on the investigations being carried out against them and then engage BLSA after the investigations had been completed.

Mantashe lambasted over tweets backing Ramaphosa

Durban - The ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson, Sihle Zikalala, has slammed the party’s secretary-general Gwede Mantashe for saying it was in the best interests of the party for President Jacob Zuma to hand over the reins to his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mantashe revealed his views on the succession debate in the ANC in a series of tweets on Sunday.

Zikalala told hundreds of party supporters from the Musa Dladla region at a cadres forum in Empangeni on Monday that the position Mantashe held required a leader who did not hold a one-sided view.

“The SG says if the ANC does not elect the deputy president there will be a crisis. We cannot have an SG of this mass democratic movement with a one-sided view. The leadership must be open to listen to all members, even to those with different views,” Zikalala said.

Responding to the attack, Mantashe said Zikalala was ­accusing him wrongfuly.

“At a government function in Kimberley, the president expressed his views on who should succeed him. I am also expressing my view on an ­ongoing debate, I have every right to do so,” he said.

Mantashe maintained that if a sitting deputy was overlooked, there should be an ­explanation.

Reiterating his support for ANC national executive committee member and presidential hopeful, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Zikalala said the incoming president of the ANC should be someone who has been through the “eye of the needle”.

“You can’t just throw in a name. You have to look at the challenges the country and the party are facing. You elect someone who is up to this task. We must elect leaders who will fight factionalism, corruption and nepotism."

“Our fight after the advent of democracy has changed, we should now elect leaders who can improve the social conditions of our people, which ­include poverty and unemployment,” said Zikalala.

He said Dlamini-Zuma was the type of leader who would bring unity to the party and implement radical economic transformation.

Zikalala took a veiled swipe at Ramaphosa, saying the ANC needed to elect a leader who would stand for the unity of the party.

“That is someone who will not leave when they don’t like something and come back when they want to. People who saw themselves as deputies back in 1994 and lost and then left the ANC are not people who can stand for unity,” he added.

He said the ANC needed a leader who would “not be afraid of the mines” because they had an interest in the mining industry.

Dlamini-Zuma was also critical of Mantashe, saying there was no clause in the ANC constitution that said when electing a president, the decision must be explained.

She warned that divisions emerged when “we invent things that do not exist and are guided by people and not the (ANC) constitution, as that leads to factionalism”.

“The constitution says all leadership positions are open. That is why after the end of the five-year term, the existing leadership can be contested,” she added.

Sisulu wants action against Gupta-linked ANC members

Johannesburg - Pressure is mounting on the ANC to act against its government ministers and members who have allegedly damaged the reputation of the party through their links to the Guptas.

On Sunday, ANC presidential hopeful and Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu, wrote a letter to fellow ANC member Derek Hanekom and to the acting ANC disciplinary committee chairman asking them to consider disciplinary charges against ministers who were exposed in the leaked Gupta e-mails.

Sisulu did not divulge to Independent Media the contents of her letters but she confirmed writing them: “I have written letters to Derek Hanekom and the acting chair of the disciplinary committee.”

She made her intentions known when she addressed a banquet in memory of ANC struggle stalwart Ahmed Kathrada, hosted in Joburg on Sunday by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. Hanekom is the chairperson of the foundation.

In her address, Sisulu accused ANC members with Gupta links of being responsible for the low turnout of voters to the polls in the August 3 national municipal elections last year, leading to the ANC’s loss of three metropolitan municipalities of Joburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

This comes after political parties and civil society organisations had laid criminal charges against those allegedly implicated in state capture. So far, police have yet to act against those implicated. Sisulu’s calls also come as the country awaits the outcome of a full bench of the High Court in Pretoria on an application to force Zuma to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture.

On July 4, the DA’s David Maynier laid criminal charges against Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, Atul Gupta, Ajay Gupta, Rajesh Gupta, Ronica Raghavan and Kamal Vasram at a Cape Town police station.

The charges included racketeering, money laundering, assisting another to benefit from the proceeds of unlawful activities, and acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act; and submitting false or untrue tax returns.

The charges follow reports that public funds were allegedly laundered through a complex web of front companies, and used to pay for Vega Gupta and Aakash Jahajgarhia’s wedding at Sun City in 2013. Public funds were reportedly laundered from a Free State dairy farm project via Dubai to pay for the extravagant wedding while Zwane was Free State MEC for agriculture.

At the time, Maynier said the fact that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly used for the Guptas' wedding was "grotesque".

Magaqa hitman 'killed in shootout'

Forensic evidence has convinced the Hawks that a gunman implicated in the murder of former ANC Youth League general secretary Sindiso Magaqa was killed in a shootout with police almost three weeks ago.

Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said on Monday that the gunman was part of a syndicate en route to commit a cash-in-transit heist between Kokstad and Harding on September 1.

Police, acting on a tip-off, foiled the heist and a shootout ensued. At least four suspects were killed and several others were injured.

"The guy was shot dead. There was profiling as per the normal process and we managed to find out he was one of the guys we were looking for.

"There are two identikits that were released. There is one suspect that we are still looking for and we are waiting for the firearms to come back. Those are gone for ballistic testing," Mulaudzi said.

The suspect was identified as Jabulani Mdunge, 38.

Magaqa, who was a former Umzimkhulu ward councillor, succumbed to his injuries in a Durban hospital on September 4 after he was shot in a drive-by shooting.

Magaqa's family believes his killers could be found in ANC party ranks, while his friend, Les Stuta, said he was killed because he was on the brink of exposing corruption linked to a community hall.

The Hawks are reportedly close to arresting a second suspect in the killing.

The breakthrough in the case comes after Police Minister Fikile Mbalula's visit to Umzimkhulu last Thursday, when he attended a memorial service and paid his respects at the Magaqa home.

He promised to have Magaqa's killers - as well as those responsible for political killings in the province - caught and dealt with.

"We catch them and they will sh*t themselves. When we catch them we won't let go until they sh*t themselves because if we allow this to continue there will be anarchy.

"I'm the police minister and I cannot lead cops and criminals," the police minister said.

Hawks swoop on #SindisoMagaqa suspect

Durban - Police have arrested a 38-year-old man for the murder of former ANC Youth League general secretary, Sindiso Magaqa.

Magaqa, a councillor at the Umzimkhulu municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast died in a Durban hospital two weeks ago after being shot multiple times in July.

According to police sources, a 38-year old man who lives at the KwaMashu Hostel has been arrested in connection with Magaqa's death.

The man was arrested last month following a shootout with police along the N2. 

It is alleged that he was one of a gang of men involved in a foiled cash heist on the N2, between Harding and Kokstad. Investigations and forensic evidence linked the man to Magaqa’s shooting and which led police to charge him with Magaqa's death. He is due in court soon. 

Magaqa, who was laid to rest at the weekend, was the former African National Congress Youth League’s Secretary General. Magaqa (34) was with two fellow ANC colleagues, Nonsikelelo Mafa and Jabu Mzizi in the uMzimkhulu area. 

The men were returning from a meeting an ANC meeting and stopped near a shop when they came under fire. 

Magaqa was recovering at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital when he succumbed to his injuries. At the time of his death, Magaqa served on the council and as Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) in the Harry Gwala district.

Mdumiseni Ntuli, ANC spokesperson, said they welcomed the arrest.

“This is good news for us. It means are potentially a step closer to finding out the motive behind our comrade’s death,” he said.

The matter is being investigated by a special task team, under the management of the Hawks, set up to investigate political killings in the province. Magaqa is the eighth councillor killed in province in the last eight months.