Fedusa to pursue claims
Calls for Dennis George to face the music if allegations that he pocketed R1m are true
THE Public Servants Association has called for the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) general secretary Dennis George to face the music if the Public Investment Corporation-linked corruption accusations against him are true.
The PSA, Fedusa’s biggest affiliate, has described the allegations against George as serious and concerning.
This comes after allegations that George pocketed almost R1million in the R4.3billion purchase of shares by the PIC in Ayo Technology Solutions.
George, who has been placed on special leave since the allegations surfaced, has denied the claims.
PSA general manager Ivan Fredericks said George would have to explain himself on the allegations as they had the potential to damage the reputation of the federation if not addressed.
“As the PSA, we are very concerned about the allegations that are being levelled against Mr George and our stance is clear against corruption and the looting of public funds.
“If the allegations against him are true, due process has to take place because we know that Fedusa has not received any money from the PIC. We will not allow anyone to abuse his position in order to get funds using the name of our federation,” Fredericks.
The PSA is the first Fedusa affiliate to speak out on the accusations, which have prompted calls from other federations, including the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), for George to be scrutinised.
Fredericks said the union would await Fedusa’s internal probe which is under way before making a call on what should happen.
The allegations against George come as the commission of inquiry tasked with looking into the governance issues of the state-owned PIC – Africa’s largest asset manager – is under way.
Through his lawyers, George has written to the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, which first made the allegations, accusing it of defaming his character by publishing untruths about him.
He denied that he owned shares in Ayo Technology Solutions or that he received R900000 from the company.
George threatened to take legal action against the publication if it did not retract the allegations against him by today.
In a statement, Saftu described the allegations against George as particularly disturbing for the trade union movement.
“If these allegations are true, then George should be condemned for enriching himself from workers’ savings, including those of many of Fedusa’s own members in the public service. Saftu urges members of Fedusa affiliates to call for his immediate resignation,” the federation said.
George said he would organise a tell-all conference next week where he would provide his side of the story.