Bosasa paid a further R5.5m to Supra Mahumapelo’s friend, again for ‘nothing’

A company owned by a close friend of ANC MP Supra Mahumapelo received a further R5.5 million from the corruption-accused Bosasa group, ostensibly for nothing in return.

In April 2019, News24 reported that Moroka Consultants, owned by Mahumapelo’s associate Israel Thebe Thoka, received R1.35 million in the months leading up to the ANC’s 2017 national elective conference at Nasrec.

Thoka is also a board member of the SOR Mahumapelo Foundation.

New evidence, including financial records, shows that Bosasa, renamed African Global Operations in 2017, continued to make monthly payments to Moroka from January 2018 to January 2019, totalling R5.502 million.

The purpose of these payments remains unclear.

News24 now has evidence that Bosasa paid Moroka a total of R7.8 million.

The previously reported R1.3 million was paid in three tranches to Moroka through the same Bosasa front company used by late Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson to make a now infamous R500,000 donation to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC presidential (CR17) campaign, Miotto Trading and Advisory Services.

Miotto is a front company and its only director at the time was Margaret Longworth, the sister of former Bosasa auditor, Peet Venter. Venter was intimately involved in the financial operations of Bosasa, to the extent that he filed the tax returns of directors, such as Gavin Watson.

In an affidavit which revealed the Ramaphosa donation as well as Bosasa’s payment of R1.1 million in legal fees for disgraced SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Venter said of the payments to Moroka that “no services have been provided as this is merely a front for other intentions”.

He did not elaborate on the nature of the “other intentions”.

Thoka’s company, which is registered to a residential address in Mahikeng, has no discernible business operations. News24 could not find any record of employees who work for the company.

Company records show further links between Mahumapelo and Thoka, including shared addresses.

Two companies of which Mahumapelo is a director have an address in Magogoe Village, Mahikeng, an address for no less than 10 other companies of which Thoka is a director.

Mahumapelo, the former premier of the North West, declared a donation from a “Mr Thoka” in his 2018 declaration of members’ interests to the North West legislature.

He did not state the exact amount Thoka donated and told News24 in a text message that he was referring to a donation Thoka made to the SOR Mahumapelo Foundation “on or about Nov/Dec 2017”, which spans the same time period Thoka’s company received money through the Bosasa front company.

He denied benefiting personally.

News24 has seen an unsigned contract bearing the names of Miotto Trading and Moroka Consultants. It revealed that the R1.35 million would be in respect of a “business turnaround strategy”.

Miotto also did not have any discernible business activities, other than operating as a front company for Bosasa.

It is registered to Longworth’s home address in Krugersdorp.

News24 could not find any record that it employed anyone. A screenshot of the 2018 declaration of members’ interests as filed by former North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo, showing a donation/sponsorship from Israel Thoka and the SOR Mahumapelo Foundation.

News24 sent Thoka a text message with detailed questions about the funds that were paid to his company, but he did not respond, saying he needed to consult with his lawyer because it was apparent to him that News24 was accusing him of committing a crime.

More time was provided for Thoka to respond but he did not do so by the time of writing.

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