UDM leader Bantu Holomisa. Picture: Masi Losi.
THE much-anticipated court battle involving UDM leader Bantu Holomisa versus former deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi, Harith General Partners, Lebashe Investments and Tshepo Mahloele was postponed yesterday after an agreement to do so by all parties involved.
Speaking to Independent Media Investigations Unit, Holomisa said the postponement will allow them to have the Mpati commission presented as part of the evidence in their attempt to prove wrongdoing and corruption at the PIC.
“The postponement for amendments today was nothing else but a mere plea to ask the court to accept the Mpati commission as part of the evidence as we continue to try and cut the umbilical cord of corruption between representatives of the PIC and the companies they fund,” said Holomisa.
Today, Holomisa vowed to proceed with his legal bid which sees former deputy finance minister Moleketi and former chief executive at the PIC and currently Harith General Partners chief executive Tshepo Mahloele stand accused of using their influence and positions at the PIC to fund their own personal ventures. Moleketi and Mahloele both have in the past vehemently refuted Holomisa’s actions which they described as spurious and malicious.
The pair filed an immediate court order after Holomisa penned a letter to the president asking him to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration which were widely reported in the media during Mahloele’s tenure at the PIC. Mahloele and Moleketi filed a gag order which stopped Holomisa from going public with his accusations until the defamation matter was concluded.
Speaking to Independent Media Investigations Unit, Holomisa questioned why such a matter of high importance should not be ventilated since it’s in the best public interest.
“This case is a result of a letter I wrote to the president asking him to investigate allegations that were all over the media and which suggested that the PIC funds were being looted. I cited Jabu Moleketi and Tshepo Mohloele’s involvement and the president responded by opening the Mpati commission and the commission did not exonerate the involved parties.
“There is enough evidence to suggest impropriety and clear elements of corruption in how some of the PIC deals were concluded. We have a former deputy finance minister who resigns today and tomorrow he is involved with a company that has been fingered for wrongdoing by the Mpati commission and the chief executive of the PIC is now the chief executive of Harith, surely this is not coincidence.” added Holomisa.
“We see this pattern of corruption as something which should be stopped and having the Mpati commission presented as evidence will surely highlight the obvious criminal elements which the commission made recommendations on but still nothing was done,” he said.
Holomisa has remained invested in his bid to lift the lid on corruption which has crippled the PIC and led to bad investments that further compromised the PIC.
The matter which was addressed by Holomisa in a letter penned to the president in 2018 has lifted the lid on maladministration and corruption at the PIC which Holomisa suggests was enabled by Moleketi and Mahloele’s influence during their time at the PIC.
“They went to court to interdict me before the matter was responded to by the president. This should be a clear sign of how crucial it is to have this matter heard and reported on.”
The court hearing for today was a defamation lawsuit against Holomisa after the UDM leader had written to President Cyril Ramaphosa three years ago but was forced to withdraw the letter from being made public until the defamation lawsuit was decided.
Sihle.makhowana@inl.co.za
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
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