UPDATE: Nene report set to clear PIC boss Matjila of one of his many allegations

A forensic investigation into allegations aimed at Public Investment Corporation (PIC) CEO Dan Matjila will reportedly clear him of one of the damning allegations against him.

Matjila has been at the centre of a number of allegations amid calls to oust him, one of which involved a romantic partner he was alleged to have spent PIC money on.

Now, a report commissioned by former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene led by advocate Geoff Budlender is believed to clear Matjila’s name, finding that there is no evidence of a romantic relationship between himself and Maison Holdings (MST) owner Pretty Louw.

The report has not yet been released but should be presented to the PIC board by Friday.

An Independent Online source, though, says the report will reveal that there is “no evidence, irregularity, or impropriety whereby the PIC made a loan of R21million to MST and made a corporate social investment contribution of R5m to MST”.

“According to my information, all of the documents submitted by the CEO and CFO as evidence of the loan to MST were valid; the loan of R21m was provided to MST and not Maison Holdings; the allocation of R5m to MST as corporate social investment was in line with the PIC’s CSI strategy which had been approved by the board in November 2016,” the source said.

The matter regarding Pretty Louw is not the only source of controversy surrounding Matjila.

READ MORE: Alleged PIC CEO lover denies benefits and relationship: ‘I got zero from PIC’

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has questioned in a letter Matjila’s involvement in an alleged missing R100 million.

“The R1.7 million was to allegedly be spent on ‘Project atlas’, wherein the consortium wanted money to buy 91.8% of the share capital of Tosaco Energy.  The PIC, however, had allegedly disbursed R1.8 billion, which means that there is a R100 million unaccounted for,” he wrote.

It has been reported that a staff member lodged a complaint alleging that Matjila had irregularly raised salaries of executives and that, together with chief financial officer Matshepo More, ran the organisation capriciously.

Matjila has also been accused of personally investigating the PIC’s company secretary Bongani Mathebula, who allegedly leaked unaltered minutes of a board meeting held on 29 September 2017.

Also, Independent Online owner Iqbal Surve scored billions from the PIC, who funded his acquisition of the media group.

The Citizen reported in September that Louw had vehemently denied both having received the money and being romantically linked to Matjila.

Louw told The Star: “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.”

The matter dominated a large part of a special board meeting held at the time by the PIC to ventilate the allegations.

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