Absa refuses to comment on ANCWL's 'apartheid corruption' claims

13 April 2016

Johannesburg - Absa on Wednesday said would not get involved in a debate with the ANC Women's League, after it accused the bank of benefiting corruptly under the apartheid government.

"We have noted the ANCWL statement and do not believe it warrants a response," the bank said.

The ANCWL's secretary general Meokgo Matuba on Wednesday criticised President Jacob Zuma's detractors: Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, former finance minister Trevor Manuel, his wife and Barclays Africa Group CEO Maria Ramos, and the Rupert family. Matuba was reacting to Manuel's statement on Soweto TV that it would be in South Africa's best interests for Zuma to step down.

This followed the Constitutional Court's judgment on March 31 that he violated the Constitution by ignoring Madonsela's remedial action to repay some of the money spent on so-called security upgrades to his private Nkandla homestead."It remains a mystery as to what extent the rule of law applies and to whom," Matuba said.

"In the 1990s a report called the 'The Ciex report' commissioned by the apartheid government, which implicates Absa (Bankorp) in apartheid corruption worth more than R3bn, still remains a mystery."

She criticised Manuel for his role in Barclays Group Ltd's purchase of Absa in early 2000. She claimed Barclays funded the apartheid government with "billions", which was used to kill ANC operatives, PAC and Azapo combatants, and civilians.

Matuba said the deal would not have been possible without Manuel's approval.

She went into Ramos's history and her link with the Ruperts. She said the wealthy family had hosted Ramos and Manuel's wedding at one of their vineyards in Stellenbosch.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.