Former ANC employee says he’s a scapegoat for Ezulweni as party guns for his pension – report

The ANC’s former financial manager, Nhlanhla Mabaso, is prepared to fight in court as the party targets his pension to recoup some of the R150 million it had to pay Ezulweni Investments for election posters.

Ezulweni Investments supplied election posters and banners to the ANC ahead of the 2019 elections, but was never paid for it.

ANC’s debt to Ezulweni

This led to years-long litigation between the two, which nearly reached the Constitutional Court (ConCourt).

It even led to the sheriff of the court arriving at the ANC’s headquarters Luthuli House in December to seize assets.

The debt dispute was eventually settled out of court shortly afterwards.

ALSO READ: ANC, Ezulweni Investments reach settlement over R102 million debt dispute

But it seems the damage from the Ezulweni matter is far from over for the ruling party.

The Sunday Times reports that Mabaso had been dismissed by the party in July and informed that the ANC would use a section of the Pension Funds Act to recover some of the money it had lost.

The Pension Funds Act, however, states that funds can only be deducted if the employer lost money due to the member admitting or being found guilty of theft, fraud or misconduct by a court.

Mabaso has not admitted guilt and the ANC has not laid charges against him.

Scapegoat

Mabasa claims he has been made a scapegoat for the debt saga. He is approaching the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) for help him in his fight.

He questions why he has been dismissed and could lose his pension while other people supposedly involved in the Ezulweni deal are being left alone.

“Three people — namely Fikile Mbalula, Lebohang Nkholise and myself — were the subject of forensic investigations by MNS [Attorneys] and ENS Africa. My glimpse of the ENS report (the MNS report is outstanding, though I have been asking for it insistently) does not exonerate Fikile Mbalula and Lebohang Nkholise,” he told Sunday Times.

Nkholise was Mbalula’s personal assistant at the time. According to the publication, he is now employed by an associate of Mbalula’s in the Free State government.

ALSO READ: ActionSA demands answers on Ezulweni R102m settlement

Mabaso also said he was introduced to Ezulweni owner Renash Ramdas by Zweli Mkhize and was told to purchase election material from him.

The former ANC staffer said the party had a procurement committee that would handle these types of transactions. However, in 2019, Mbalula and Mashatile shut down the procurement committee and announced they would take care of those deals themselves. Neither Mbalula or Mashatile responded to the Sunday Times‘ questions about this.

Ezulweni denies being promised tenders

In January, Ezulweni Investments denied reports that it had been promised it will get tenders in the future if it agreed to settle the debt dispute with the ANC.

This came after ActionSA questioned how the ANC was able to pay its debt. ActionSA alleged that there was a “link” between Ezulweni and other state contracts.

In response, Esulweni’s spokesperson Peter Fernando labelled ActionSA as “a bunch of racists”.

Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa.

ALSO READ: ‘No such thing’ – Ezulweni denies being promised tenders by ANC after R102m settlement