was for R 51 million but it was paid in 2 parts (R 20 m in Dec and R 31 m
in January). Therefore I can’t make an invoice for R 51 m ( 40 %) and
then another for R 31 m (part of the same 40 %) unless that’s what is
required for administration purposes.’ This must have satisfied
Matlakala, as he did not reply.
With the invoices for the first R 127. 5 million now submitted to
Matlakala and R 51 million already paid out, Mpambani tended to
some banking business. Information from the IgoFiles suggests he met
with Jarard Blake, the head of banking and operations at the Caymans’
branch of UBS Fund Services. I reached out to Blake to ask him
whether Mpambani had been to his bank and, if he had, what he did
there. He ignored my queries and later blocked me on Twitter. Blake
clearly did not want to talk about the South African businessman.
On 3 February, Mpambani flew back to Cuba. The next day, he
returned to Johannesburg via Paris. Three days later, Magashule flew
back to South Africa via São Paulo.
It is curious why Mpambani chose to execute so much of the financial
admin for the asbestos deal while he was abroad with Magashule. And
his sojourn in the Caymans, with its reputation as a great place to hide
money, and his probable meeting with UBS, pose tantalising questions
about the payment of the directors’ contributions outlined in the
Diamond Hill company resolution. Thanks to the Caymans’ secretive
financial sector, we may never know whether Mpambani made
payments and, if he did, to whom.
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