Former Public Investment Corporation CEO Dan Matjila. Picture: Gallo Images
“This is nothing but a malicious smear campaign to discredit Dr [Dan] Matjila. Unfortunately, my name has been dragged into this mess. My reputation and Dr Matjila’s reputation have been tarnished by these allegations.”
That is reportedly what Pretty Louw, the woman named in the “smear campaign”, told The Star in response to whether allegations were true that she unduly received monies from the entity her alleged lover heads.
The matter has dominated a large part of a special board meeting the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) called to ventilate the allegations.
National Treasury spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete confirmed to The Citizen a few days before the meeting that the deputy minister and PIC board chairperson Sfiso Buthelezi had received a submission from a concerned staff member.
Although Buthelezi’s primary intention was not to dislodge Matjila for refusing to accede to politically connected requests, Tshwete emphasised he intended to get to the bottom of the allegations.
READ MORE: Matjila still in charge at the PIC, but subject to ‘internal review’
Further allegations included that Matjila “didn’t follow PIC policy procedures when he funded her [Louw] an amount of R21m through Maison Holdings”, and that “the transaction was funded through the CSI [corporate social investment] funds which are meant to for social responsibility and nonprofit-making initiatives. In this case, Maison is running a fully-fledged profit-making business”.
Louw is said to have rejected both claims that she received the loot and that she is Matjila’s lover.
“I wish to state it on record that I will consider legal action against any media house that publishes [these allegations as fact] by using my name, as this is a clear smear campaign using me, with absolutely no fact to it,” she was quoted as saying.
Louw is also reported to be the managing partner of the 100% women-owned diversified company Mason Holdings. The Star cited internal PIC memo dated September 2016, which shows that Maison was acting as a sales agent for Mobile Specialised Technologies Group (MST), a company that provides preventative healthcare to children in far-flung under-serviced communities through mobile clinics.
According to the memo that the Star relied on, the company was seeking approval for the PIC to lease education and healthcare mobile units from MST as the “PIC’s corporate social responsibility and CSI strategy”.
Louw contends the relationship with Matjila was only “on a professional level” when her company presented the CSI proposal to the PIC last year, saying the proposal was rejected because of “budget [constraints]”.
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