Cyril’s dubious Shanduka tender
Charges laid against president by Reserve Bank shareholder at Sandton police station
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa and several ANC leaders may have another battle on their hands. This follows Reserve Bank shareholder Fanie Fondse laying criminal charges against him at the Sandton Police station yesterday.
Fondse, 62, flanked by four people who claimed to be witnesses, carried two briefcases of documents said to be incriminating the president in corruption related to Shanduka, a company that Ramaphosa was a shareholder in.
In 2015, while the ANC’s deputy president, Ramaphosa allegedly “persuaded” the Free State Department of Education to give Shanduka a contract to build schools in the Free State.
The tender was not advertised and no bidding process was administered. Two schools were build by Shanduka in one year.
ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule was premier of the Free State at the time. Magashule’s office referred questions to the office of the Free State MEC for education.
The Free State Department of Education had not responded to The Star’s questions by the time of publication.
In documents seen by The Star, the first invoice paid was for R41 million.
The group also opened a case of racketeering, money laundering and treason against Ramaphosa, accusing him of colluding with apartheid leaders in looting money from the South African government.
Fondse was appointed by the government in 2012 to investigate apartheid-era economic crimes.
A background search on Fondse revealed that he was a new technology engineer at arms company Denel.
“Prison is Ramaphosa’s final destination if the law runs its course. The situation was created over many decades by a lawless group of people who carefully planned the corruption we see today. We have the evidence. We hope the police will not be politicised,” Fondse said.
A policeman at the Sandton police station referred The Star to his senior, who referred the paper to the provincial police communications officer.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Kay Makhubele declined to comment on the case, referring The Star to the Hawks.
Presidency spokesperson Tyrone Seale was not available for comment.