Mkhize, Malema and Mogajane’s snouts in the VBS trough?

The Tshifhiwa Matodzi affidavit leaked this week names several high profile people who allegedly benefited from the heist at VBS Mutal Bank, or were linked to other people who did. They include:

Zweli Mkhize — In 2016, when he was still treasurer-general of the ANC, he met Matodzi in the boardroom of Mmampilo Petroleum in Rivonia.

“Present was Dr Mkhize, Andile, myself and I think there were other members in the meeting who I cannot recall (I think a guy by the name of Nkadimeng),” the affidavit says. “The meeting was probably arranged by Joseph Nkadimeng. The purpose... was to ask Dr Mkhize to assist VBS with accessing much larger facilities at PIC [Public Investment Corp].

I recall an amount of R2m which was paid via Joseph Nkadimeng or Tseke Nkadimeng which was requested by Dr Mkhize. The request was that the payment was for an ANC supplier.

No further engagements were held with Dr Mkhize after this meeting.”

Julius Malema, Floyd Shivambu and his brother Brian Shivambu — Brian “was provided to me by Floyd to make payments that I promised to the EFF. I made this promise following the news which had broken in the media that VBS had granted former president Zuma a home loan for his Nkandla residence.

Negative publicity arose in the country. Among those was the EFF. I decided that Malema and EFF should be approached for VBS to explain its position and how the loan was granted.”

Matodzi said he met Malema and Shivambu at the EFF’s penthouse in Sandton in April or May 2017. “I explained VBS’s position... Furthermore, I explained that as black brothers, the EFF’s constituencies were VBS’s target market also. I further informed them that VBS was willing to offer a donation to the EFF. I then proposed that VBS can donate R5m immediately once a bank account has been opened at VBS and R1m per month to the EFF. I also made it clear that the amount could only be deposited into a VBS account, and that EFF should therefore open a bank account with VBS.

After I left this meeting, Floyd and I remained in contact. At some stage Floyd indicated that they have opened an account at VBS in the name of a company called Sgameka. A transfer of R5m as promised was made on my instructions from Malibongwe [Petroleum] to Sgameka on June 8 2017. Subsequent payments were made to Sgameka VBS account every month and were paid.

Myself, Julius and Floyd understood that concept of donation to mean gratification, hence Floyd and Julius did not provide me with EFF’s own banking details for these ‘donations’.”

Florence Radzilani, MEC of social development in Limpopo, was formerly the executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality from 2011 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2018.

“Around December 20 2017, I received a WhatsApp message from [Kabelo] Matsepe requesting that a gratuitous payment be made to the then mayor of Vhembe, Florence Radzilani. I had never met the mayor and most of the Vhembe municipality staff as I was not ‘customer facing’ at the bank,” Matodzi wrote.

“In that WhatsApp message, Matsepe informed me that the mayor wanted ‘Christmas’ money as the R300,000 that was already paid to her and the Speaker was not enough for the job they were doing. The gratuitous amount Matsepe was requesting was R1.5m. This payment could not be made, and it was agreed that this request will be finalised after December holidays. Whereas the initial gratuity requested for the mayor in December 2017 was R1.5m, in January 2018 that requested amount had been inflated by Matsepe to R2m.

In view of the intensified and premature withdrawals by municipalities during that period we then succumbed to Matsepe’s demand for the R2m payment and paid that amount into Moshate account. The investments in question in Vhembe were rolled over as Matsepe promised.” Moshate was a company run by Matsepe, a former ANC Youth League leader in Limpopo.

Former National Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane — His involvement stemmed from pressure the Treasury exerted on municipalities to withdraw investments in the bank.

Matodzi said he and Mogajane met five times, with their associates. The affidavit says that during a meeting at Pedro Portia Cigar Lounge in Fourways, Mogajane approved a R1m payment. Matodzi said the funds were paid into the Baphilile Foundation under the control of a Dr Mkhize, known to him as an associate of Mogajane’s. “The payment was intended for Dondo to intervene and facilitate the withdrawal of the Treasury letter and to grant VBS the special dispensation of 18 months for it to continue to accept municipal investments.”

Mogajane this week denied the allegations, saying he was one of the people who stopped Matodzi and prevented VBS from looting South Africa further. He admitted to having met Matodzi, saying the VBS chair sought to have the circular withdrawn. “Each time I gave him the same answer, refusing to withdraw the circular and refusing his requests to allow VBS to conduct further investment deals with municipalities.”

Jacob Zuma — In 2016 VBS granted the then president an R8.5m bond at least nine months before any documents were signed providing security for the money. It has been alleged Zuma would not have qualified for the loan if the necessary checks had been carried out.

SACP Gauteng leader Jacob Mamabolo — Matodzi said that after the Zuma home loan made the news, the SACP put out a statement linking VBS to Gupta entities.

According to Matodzi’s affidavit, a meeting was arranged at his request, which Mamabolo attended. He claimed Mamabolo requested assistance in settling a R3m bill for a SACP conference at Birchwood Hotel in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni. Matodzi said the money was paid directly to the hotel from MML Food Services.

This was the only request for help from the party, he said.