Botlokwa Holdings, owned by Thoko Malembe; ME Construction,
owned by Ezekiel Magashule, the then premier’s younger brother;
MDBS Trading, owned by S’busiso and Duduza Ntombela, the sons of
current Free State premier Sisi Ntombela; Juda in Zion Trading, owned
by Katleho Mochela, the daughter of Parys mayor Joey Mochela; and
4 Ever Friends Trading, founded by Moshe Tladi, the late ANC regional
secretary for the Fezile Dabi region.^14 Of the thirty-three new
contractors, at least ten were directly linked to either Magashule, his
political allies or his former business associates.
Some of the companies were absorbed into the CDP itself, which
would have enabled them to become subcontractors on lucrative road
maintenance projects, while others were given contracts for grass
cutting and related services. A select few got the best of both worlds.
Botlokwa, for example, was included in the CDP and secured contracts
for ‘grass cutting’, ‘fleet branding services’ and to ‘supply, deliver and
install emergency response and law enforcement vehicle accessories’.^15
It is not clear how much money Botlokwa and the other connected
companies received through the CDP and related contracts, but sources
in the department allege that it amounted to millions.
Furthermore, some of these new contractors were not even based in
the Fezile Dabi district. According to information at my disposal,
Thoko spent her time between Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.
Duduza Ntombela worked at the provincial Department of Social
Development in Bloemfontein. His younger brother, S’busiso,
apparently lived in Johannesburg. None of the three responded to
queries about their involvement in the CDP.
The DPRT predictably denied that the premier’s family members and
their fellow CDP beneficiaries were appointed through dubious means.
nora
(Nora)
#1