Van Rooyen, Mngqibisa appointments ‘a ploy to stymie Ace’
● The appointment of alleged state capture enabler and former finance minister Des van Rooyen to a board of a Gauteng government agency this week is said to be part of an ANC strategy to block its erstwhile secretary-general Ace Magashule’s new party from making inroads in the province.
The Gauteng government came under scrutiny this week when it appointed alleged state capture enablers who are linked to the now-defeated RET faction of the ANC to the boards of provincial agencies.
Van Rooyen and former Bosasa director Papa Leshabane this week made spectacular returns to positions of influence after clinching appointments to the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller and the Gauteng Tourism Authority boards. Magashule’s former right-hand man Phosane Mngqibisa was also appointed to the board of the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller.
These are known allies of Magashule with influence in Gauteng who would have been crucial in the mobilisation of supporters for Magashule’s new party, the African Congress for Transformation (ACT).
Magashule formed ACT last month after the ANC expelled him.
ANC insiders said the appointments were part of a bigger political strategy to hinder Magashule ahead of elections next year in which the ANC is expected to struggle to keep its majority. A senior member of the party in Gauteng told the Sunday Times that “they took a gamble with our public and moral standing” by appointing, especially, Van Rooyen and Leshabane into the agencies.
“To be frank, the Des [Van Rooyen] matter was political. Ace wanted him to co-ordinate his party in Gauteng and we moved in by recruiting him,” the highly placed source said.
“We don’t want ACT to have a footprint in
GP. Besides, the law compels us to appoint one person with a military background and he was the only one qualifying. He scored more points than all the others who applied because of his two master’s degrees in finance. This is a financial institution that needs people with financial skills.” Van Rooyen is a former uMkhonto weSizwe member.
The insider said that convincing Mngqibisa to agree to join their board was “a big win for us”.
“We wanted to suffocate his support base in GP. Our province will be highly contested so we wanted to eliminate potential threats,” the insider said. The source, however, conceded that the strategy may not resonate well with Gauteng residents as it would be “difficult to balance the strategic decision with public perception”.
Gauteng economic development MEC Tasneem Motara this week defended the appointments of the three, saying the decision was based on a number of factors, including qualifications.
According to information shared by the Gauteng government, Van Rooyen has two master’s degrees in finance and public and development management as well as a diploma in municipal governance. Leshabane has a BA in education and a “master’s diploma” in human resource management.
Mngqibisa has an MBA, is pursuing a doctorate in business administration and has a diploma in marketing.
Motara said neither Van Rooyen nor Leshabane have criminal records. “They both have valid and credible qualifications and experience,” said Motara.