Ezulweni denies being promised tenders by ANC

Ezulweni Investments has dismissed allegations suggesting that the company has been assured tenders as part of a deal to the debt dispute with the ANC.

The party reached an out-ofcourt settlement with Ezulweni in December, ending a four-year legal dispute over a debt for material for the 2019 election campaign.

The ANC had owed Ezulweni more than R102 million, including interest.

ActionSA has, however, questioned how the ANC will pay its debt to Ezulweni.

Last week, ActionSA called on the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to investigate the settlement using the Party

Funding Act in its probe.

The party alleged that there is a “link” between Ezulweni and state contracts which shows the “reasonable fear that South Africans may pay for this settlement”.

“The revelation of this connection to state contracts has been revealed in a tender awarded by the Newcastle local municipality to Gladmod Transport and Shories Project 47, which lists Mr Renash Ramdas as its sole director according to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission,” ActionSA chair Michael Beaumont said in statement.

“This is the same Renash Ramdas who is listed as CEO of Ezulweni Investments in the court papers against the ANC and who is believed to be married to the sole director of Ezulweni Investments, Ms Ashnee Ramdas.”

According to a court judgment, the election posters contract between Ezulweni and ANC was concluded with Gladmod, which is a close corporation of which Ramdas has been listed as a member.

The ANC said Ezulweni debt was settled as it charged up to R500 000 for seat at gala dinner.

Furthermore, Beaumont said the R200 000 tender was issued days before the local government elections in 2021.

Beaumont said the liquidation process revealed the ANC had less than R60 000 in all its bank accounts and failed to pay salaries for the most part of last year.

Meanwhile, Ezulweni Investments has denied ActionSA’s claims, saying the allegations were false.

“There’s no such thing which the ANC has agreed to give Ezulweni tenders,” said the company’s spokesperson, Peter Fernando.

Fernando said as a company, they were free to conduct business with anyone, including municipalities.

“You have got the freedom to work with anybody. [ActionSA] are talking about some tender work that was done with Newcastle municipality [but] we are an events company and we do work with various municipalities.”

Fernando said the settlement agreement would not be disclosed.

“The parties agreed that they will keep the agreement confidential,” he said.

The ANC couldn’t be reached for comment at the time of going to print.