Scorpion+smear+on+Ramatlhodi,+Matuma+Letsoalo,+Mail+and+Guardian

Mail and Guardian, Johannesburg, Scorpions report, 10 November 2006 07:21
=Ramatlhodi's 'reward'=


 * Matuma Letsoalo**

Former Limpopo premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi received a R100 000 payment from a businessman whose company won multimillion-rand tenders from his government, the Scorpions have alleged.

This is just one of a range of cash benefits that allegedly flowed to him after a R750-million pensions administration contract was awarded to Cash Paymaster Services (CPS).

These claims, which echo an exposé in Noseweek magazine in 2003, are contained in an affidavit used by the Scorpions to obtain search warrants for the homes and offices of Ramatlhodi and his friends Solly Mohale and Gideon Serote last week.

Mohale and Serote are both directors of Northern Corporate Investment Holdings (Nicoh), a black economic empowerment partner to CPS — which won the contract to disburse pension grants in the province. The affidavit sets out how senior members of the provincial ANC, including former finance MEC Thaba Mufamadi, benefited from the pension deal.

Last week Ramatlhodi, who is seen as a supporter of ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, responded angrily to the searches, saying they were further proof of abuse of power by the Scorpions.

He was backed by the Congress of South African Trade Union and the ANC Youth League, who publicly condemned the raids.

But investigators believe Ramatlhodi has a case to answer. The affidavit suggests they have concrete evidence that he was paid R100 000 by Mohale through a trust.

The money went toward payments for Ramatlhodi’s house in the plush Pretoria suburb of Faerie Glen. JA Jacobs, the previous owner of the house, confirmed in an affidavit that he received part of the purchase price from a trust controlled by Mohale.

Court papers suggest Ramatlhodi got a range of other benefits too.

The affidavit contains two “distribution lists” appended as evidence — albeit not conclusive — that Ramatlhodi received payments totaling R165 000 in just two of what appear to have been monthly payouts.

One of the lists sets out how a R700 000 disbursement from CPS would be shared among the key players in Nicoh. It includes Ramatlhodi who is referred to as “the chief” and was to receive 17%, Mufamadi, who is referred to as “T/man” (7%) and Baobab Trust, which got 10%.

Limpopo businessman Habakuk Shikoane, who was one of the key players in Nicoh and is now a vital witness in the Scorpions case, claims in an affidavit that payments for both Ramatlhodi and Mufamadi were made in cash cheques. He said Ramatlhodi was among the first people who came up with the idea of forming Nicoh.

Other allegations made by Shikoane in his affidavit are that:


 * Ramatlhodi received a loan of R2-million from Nicoh that he never returned;


 * R200 000 was paid to Mufamadi but he later instructed that the money be given to the ANC;


 * Mohale received an unauthorised payment of R820 000 from Nicoh;


 * An unknown, Michael Toulou, received R785 000 from Nicoh. The Scorpions believe Toulou received the money on behalf of Ramatlhodi.

Approached for comment, Ramatlhodi referred all questions to his lawyer, Marius du Toit, who was unavailable. In a statement released through the ANC last week, Ramatlhodi said: “The manner in which the Scorpions have conducted their investigation over the course of the last three years has prejudiced me professionally, politically and socially. It is inconsistent with the principles of dignity and fair treatment enshrined in our Constitution.”

Mohale’s lawyer, Derric Wanblad, said he could not comment until he had seen the full affidavit.


 * From: http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=289541&area=/insight/insight__national/**

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