DA calls for SIU Investigation into Mineral Resources Department

As new allegations of corruption continue to emerge, I will today be writing to President Jacob Zuma to call on him to request a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) enquiry into the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) in light of its handling of the mineral rights debacle involving Kumba and Imperial Crown Trading (ICT) (see Amabhunge report).

The scale of accusations of corruption by officials of the DMR is quite alarming. At the centre of all of this is ICT, a company with links to a son of the President and the partner of the Deputy President.

It is vital that the highest offices in the land be freed from all taint of corruption and cronyism. This can only realistically be achieved by an SIU investigation which will carry the necessary weight to achieve a credible result.

Failure to restore the credibility of the Department or of the Presidency will simply add to investors' reluctance to put their money into South Africa's mining industry, which should be the key driver of our economic growth.

New allegations by a legal consultant with knowledge of the DMR's dealings were reported on last week, including:

• ICT chief executive Phemelo Sehunelo allegedly paid a bribe of R250,000 to Charles Lerumo, the DMR's Northern Cape assistant director of mineral laws, to facilitate the acceptance of ICT's application for a 21.4% undivided share in an old order mining right which had not been converted to a new order right by ArcelorMittal.
• Lerumo allegedly kept R150,000 and passed R100,000 on to Thozama Basi, the department's Northern Cape assistant director of social and labour plans.
• Basi, who took possession of Kumba's application on 30 April 2009, allegedly made copies of documents such as title deeds from this application during the subsequent long weekend. She then handed these copies to Sehunelo.
• There is evidence that ICT's application was incomplete and unsigned at the time it was purportedly captured on the department's computer systems on 4 May 2009. Lerumo saw to the capturing of ICT's application on 4 May, even though the ICT application was in fact only signed on 5 May that year. This is significant, as Kumba's application was also registered on 4 May and legislation promotes a "first past the post" approach to competing applications.

The Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act No. 74 of 1996 was constructed 'for the purpose of investigating serious malpractices or maladministration in connection with the administration of State institutions'.

If the allegations are indeed true, the grounds for an investigation have certainly been fulfilled. The Democratic Alliance therefore urges the President to act on this request immediately.

Statement issued by James Lorimer MP, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources, February 12 2012

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