New book details ANC boss involvement in Bay deals
A FORMER ANC insider has made startling claims about how a party boss along with a businessman, municipal official and lawyer allegedly doled out lucrative contracts for Nelson Mandela Bay’s Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS).
This is one of the allegations contained in a book How to Steal a City, The Battle for Nelson Mandela Bay by Crispian “Chippy” Olver.
It claims Bay ANC regional boss Zandisile Qupe was part of a series of secret meetings where dubious contracts relating to the bus system were allegedly decided.
While Qupe denied the allegations he admitted he had met some of those involved with the bus system before, but in relation to their ANC involvement and not IPTS.
Olver headed up then cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Pravin Gordhan’s national government intervention into the municipality’s administrat
At the book launch in Port Elizabeth on Monday, Olver said it was written from municipal documents, forensic and audit reports as well as recorded interviews he had conducted.
According to the book, Qupe, an ANC regional secretary at the time of the alleged meetings, was incriminated by Port Elizabeth lawyer David le Roux.
Under interrogation by Olver at City Hall in September 2015, Le Roux, whose firm Le Roux Inc benefited from bus contracts, is said to have spilt the beans on the dealings of the powerful network accused of siphoning millions from the IPTS.
According to Olver’s book, three sources confirmed to him that former IPTS director Mhleli Tshamase often met with Port Elizabeth businessman Fareed Fakir and Qupe – sometimes with Le Roux present.
“Decisions about how to divide the IPTS pie, and which consultants and companies to give work to, were made during these meetings,” Olver wrote.
Asked for his side of the story yesterday, Qupe laughed off allegations that he had met with people to discuss the IPTS.
“As an ANC secretary how can I know who to give contracts to. I was not working in the municipality,” he said.
He said anything related to how the municipality was run by the administration was out of his control.
Asked if had benefited directly or indirectly from IPTS contracts, he said: “I have not been part of any IPTS projects.”
Le Roux’s attorney, Lunen Meyer, said yesterday his client declined to comment at this stage.
Tshamase and Fakir could reached for comment. — DDC not be