No response to CR17 bank statements leak after court orders evidence to be sealed. Here’s what you need to know
19 August 2019
The Presidency and officials who ran President Cyril Ramaphosa's 2017 ANC presidential campaign, known as the CR17 campaign, have yet to comment on an explosive leak of bank statements late last week.
The statements, which were widely shared on social media since at least Thursday, show transactions relating to the FNB account of Linkd Environment Services, a Johannesburg company owned by one of the CR17 campaign members, Dr Crispian Olver.
The authenticity of the statements has not been disputed.
Linkd disbursed funds to provincial co-ordinators and service providers used by the CR17 campaign, according to Ramaphosa's response to an interim report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Linkd's statements were part of a file named "Bosasa 9", the same file name on evidence the Office of the Public Protector filed with the High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday, News24 understands.
Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba granted an order sealing the file following argument from Ramaphosa's attorneys and the Public Protector on Thursday.
Ramaphosa's lawyers have until August 26 to peruse the remainder of the Rule 53 record and raise objections to any other documents that they don't want to form part of the public record.
The main argument has been that the bank statements and emails that form part of the Public Protector's evidence, contain confidential third party information, Ledwaba agreed.
The horse has, however, now bolted, with the leaking of the statements over the weekend.
The statements show a number of payments to politicians, including Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa and Minister of Small Business Development Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
Nelson Mandela Bay ANC councillor Andile Lungisa was one of the first to tweet the statements, expressing his disbelief.
Just five minutes before Lungisa’s Tweet, Ekhurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina tweeted a name, Marion Sparg.
Sparg was a member of the CR17 campaign and is mentioned in the bank statements.
It remains unclear, however, how the statements were leaked.
Here's what else you need to know about what the statements show so far:
- CR17 KwaZulu-Natal provincial co-ordinator Vukani Mdabe was given R13m by Linkd between August 11, 2017 and January 3, 2019, through a company named Nomangisi Cleaning Services, which belongs to Lungile Ngubane, Mdabe's "fiancée", City Press reported.
- ANC MP Bernice Swarts received roughly R16m on behalf of her company Tomberry Trading Enterprises, and personally, over the same time period. Swarts was responsible for winning support for Ramaphosa in Mpumalanga, City Press also reported.
- EFF MP Tebogo Mokwele was paid a total of R40 000 by the CR17 campaign, the EFF said in a statement on Sunday. The party said it was considering what steps to take.
