Memoir offers no more clarity on the Golding question

Excluded from Johnny Copelyn’s Maverick Insider, besides details about the accumulation of his personal fortune, is the very public split with his long-time business partner and friend, Marcel Golding, before Golding resigned from Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI).

Copelyn affords him only a brief mention in the final chapter, where he writes about how the two took up executive roles at HCI.

Golding’s resignation was widely reported in 2014, when a tearful Copelyn sat alongside him to announce it. Although Golding’s departure was justified by unauthorised share dealings in Ellies Ltd, in court papers filed in an attempt to have his suspension overturned, Golding claimed the tension was about his resistance to political influence over news content on e.tv.

Golding’s wife, Bronwyn KeeneYoung, resigned as chief operating officer in protest. In a parting letter, she said Copelyn had misrepresented the facts about Golding’s removal, had known about the relevant matter for months and had not acted.

Keene-Young claimed, among other things, that Copelyn had told the executive committee that eNCA’s news coverage was “problematic” for HCI’s other interests and needed to be reined in.

Former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan resigned from the HCI board, citing her unease over the claim that the issue related only to the shares.

This week Copelyn said Golding was subjected to a disciplinary inquiry held by an external attorney arising from R24-million in unauthorised share dealings in Ellies. “Rather than present his point of view to such an inquiry, he chose to resign,” Copelyn said.

Copelyn said HCI believed the “political” interference claim was totally untrue and opportunistic.

“HCI had always promoted an independent and critical news service and continues to do so.”

Keene-Young and Golding did not want to comment further. —