Battle at gun ownership NPO heads to court

The biggest firearm activist group in South Africa is facing an internal ownership war which will play out in the High Court in Johannesburg soon.

Zaahir Manuel and Mmatshepo Tugge (aka Tshepi Mmekwa) are asking the court to order the suspension or removal of Paul Oxley as director of Gun Owners South Africa (Gosa), set aside their removal as nonexecutive directors and declare it unlawful.

They are also seeking to be reinstated as directors of Gosa.

Tugge also wants her director’s fees due to her at the time the order is granted, if it is granted by the court, to be paid to her.

Should they be successful, the applicants want Oxley suspended, pending a board meeting to be held 14 days after the order is handed down.

In Tugge’s affidavit, deposed on behalf of Manuel and herself, she stated she had been the chief executive of Gosa since May last year, and that they were also appointed as directors of Gosa in “about May 2021”.

However, Gosa spokesperson Larry Marks said Tugge was appointed to the Gosa board from June last year, with the intention she “would be mentored to eventually become the CEO”.

“She performed certain leadership-related functions. Pending her eventual appointment as CEO she was paid a monthly fee.”

Tugge said she and Manuel had “noticed the first respondent operated [Gosa] with almost complete autonomy”.

“Feeling rather intimidated by Oxley and being largely left out of the financial administration of Gosa, I trusted all was in order.”

It was when Oxley allegedly terminated Gosa’s financial services consultant in February, citing expense and “failure to perform effectively”, according to Tugge, that she became concerned “about Gosa’s financial obligations to properly account”.

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The financial consultant allegedly also did work for Oxley’s closed corporation, Tactical Shotguns Handguns and Carbines CC (Tac Shac).

In March, Tugge found a letter from the dismissed consultant saying they had resigned from Tac Shac as it allegedly contravened the Companies Act.

“It appears [Oxley] is engaging in unlawful or irregular actions to the detriment of Gosa,” Tugge said.

It appeared, Tugge said, Oxley was using Gosa funds, a not-for-profit company, to fund his lifestyle.

Tugge claimed Oxley, “sans any board resolutions, unlawfully authorised and increased payments under the guise of ‘consultancy fees’ for himself and his wife to Tac Shac”. She said payments increased from R60 000 to R85 000 per month (for Oxley) and for his wife, R48 000.

Marks said while the applicants alleged financial irregularities, “no evidence has been produced”.

“Gosa has appointed an attorney to confirm whether there have been irregularities,” he said. “Given their attempt to seize control of Gosa, there was no alternative but to remove them as directors.”

Gosa intends to oppose the application.