Gangster State

Mpambani’s trip to Cuba suggests that the young businessman had
finally established himself as a member of Magashule’s inner circle of
connected contractors. According to his official diary, the premier’s
first scheduled engagement after the Cuba trip was at the University of
the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg on Monday 9 February. He most
likely returned to Bloemfontein later that day, as he had a meeting
scheduled there for the following morning. Mpambani drove to
Bloemfontein that same Monday, where he withdrew R 16 000 from an
ATM at the Dynarc Walk shopping centre that evening. The next
morning, between 08 : 07 and 08 : 11 , he withdrew a further R 24 000 in
separate batches from the Brandwag ATM around the corner from Free
State House. According to Magashule’s diary, he had a ‘private
meeting’ scheduled at Free State House for 9 a.m.
It may be mere coincidence, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the
money Mpambani withdrew went straight to Magashule. A source who
worked closely with Mpambani told me that whenever the FSHS made
payments to Blackhead–Diamond Hill, the businessman would set off
for the Free State to meet with either Magashule or one of his proxies.
‘When he went to meet with Ace or one of his people, Igo would
sometimes leave Johannesburg with large amounts of cash,’ alleged my
source.
Mpambani would apparently regularly meet with Chris Ackeer,
another Parys local who effectively worked as one of Magashule’s
aides. Ackeer later joined Magashule at Luthuli House when the latter
became ANC secretary-general. ‘Igo met with Chris a lot during that
time; he told me whenever he went down to meet with him,’ my source
told me.
I had heard about Ackeer even before I started researching the