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We were removed and sent to work in other departments. When we say this case was politically motivated, it is not a recent thing. - Bongo

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Former State Security Agency minister, Bongani Bongo, has claimed that his charging on dodgy land deals was politically motivated and cooked when he was removed as legal advisor in the Mpumalanga human settlements department.

Last week, the Nelspruit Commercial Crimes Court discharged Bongo and four co-accuseds - Sandile Nkosi, Robert Burwise, Patrick Chirwa and Harrington Dhlamini – on 84 charges of fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act relating to inflating the prices of three farms by R123.9 million that the human settlements department intended to buy for Msukaligwa (Ermelo), Nkomazi (Malalane) and Emalahleni municipalities.

Other six co-accuseds are still facing the charges. They include former human settlements head, David Dube, Blessing Singwane, Vusi Magagula, Bongani Sibiya, Elmon Mdaka and Sibongile Mdaka. 

When the case began unfolding back in 2013, former Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza removed Bongo, who was the department’s legal advisor, Dube and other human settlement executives from their positions after accusing them of failing to deliver RDP houses and politicking.

“We were removed and sent to work in other departments. When we say this case was politically motivated, it is not a recent thing. It began back then. When I was appointed minister (of State Security Agency by former president Jacob Zuma on October 17 2017) the formal charges came up,” Bongo said.

Bongo was Home Affairs portfolio committee chairperson when he was formally charged and had to step aside in compliance with the ANC’s policy.

He said that he would let bygones be bygones. “What can I do? There’s nothing. We must close the chapter. I’m happy that the magistrate was not swayed by the politics. The media was being used to target me,” Bongo said.

The allegations are that Bongo and Dube (who was ANC provincial deputy chairperson at that time)  allegedly benefited from luxury vehicles from the land transactions.

The land deals in question are the sales of the:

• 414-hectare Rietspruit farm in Ermelo at R36.4 million, which was valued at R11.9 million, in 2011. Rietfontein was bought from Fremax Farms by a company called Bongiveli CC owned by Vusi Magagula and Bongani Sibiya.

• 70-hectare Malelane farm at R50 million, which was valued at R41 million, in 2011. The farm was bought by Misty Sea Trading for R5.8-million and then sold to Bongiveli CC for R41-million; and

• 74.2-hectare Naauwpoort in Emalahleni that was valued at R16 million but sold for R37.5 million.

According to the allegations, the department would have paid only R68.9 million for all three farms but ended up paying R55 million more.

Also involved in these deals were two town planners - Patrick Donald Chirwa and Harrington Sizwakhendaba Dhlamini - who were close associates of former premier and deputy president, David Mabuza.  They were charged together with four companies – Little River Trading 156 (Pty) Ltd, Broad Market Trading 204 (Pty) Ltd, Bongiveli CC and Pfuka Afrika CC. 

Mabuza denied any involvement in the deals.

The National Prosecuting Authority has indicated that it would review the decision to discharge Bongo and his co-accuseds.