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Ivanplats confirms that it has never offered, nor authorised or instructed any of its officials, employees, or any other representative of Ivanplats, to offer any gratification to a public official to influence the outcome of any decision. The allegations contained in WhatsApp / Facebook are untrue, spurious, and defamatory. – Ivanplats statement

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Sizwe sama Yende

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A mining company has dismissed a sensational message implicating its official in giving a R5million bribe to Limpopo cabinet member, Basikopo Makamu, as “unverified speculation.”

Ivanplats - a subsidiary of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd, which operates in the Mokopane area - said that it was bound Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and denied involvement in any wrongdoing.

The message was distributed via social media. It says that Ivanplats official, Elias Malose Kekana, and six other people that included Waterberg ANC regional executive committee visited the Limpopo cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs MEC in January 2002 to ask him to influence former premier, Stanley Mathabatha, to appoint a chief in Mokopane who would co-operate with the mine.

The message was sent by an anonymous Waterberg ANC regional executive member to Premier Phophi Ramathuba, and distributed via WhatsApp. However, the executive member did not make any statement to the police.

Anonymous claimed that Makamu helped a group to steal the Mokopane chieftaincy and for his efforts, Kekana rewarded  Makamu with US dollar notes worth R5 million.

He alleged that the assassination of  Klaas Kekana who was deputy chairperson of the Mokopane Traditional Council was plotted in October 2022 because he had started spilling the beans about the January meeting.

Klaas was shot and killed on October 9 2022 while watching TV at his home allegedly on matters pertaining to succession battles of the Mokopane chieftaincy.  

“The WhatsApp / Facebook message contains several unverified claims without any supporting evidence. Ivanplats remains committed to addressing matters based on facts and substantiated information and will not engage in unverified speculation,” Ivanplats said in a written response.

The company said that it denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

“Ivanplats confirms that it has never offered, nor authorised or instructed any of its officials, employees, or any other representative of Ivanplats, to offer any gratification to a public official to influence the outcome of any decision. The allegations contained in WhatsApp / Facebook are untrue, spurious, and defamatory.”

“Ivanplats is bound by the Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, a copy of which it available on the website of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. At www.ivanhoemines.com. As such, we expect the highest standards of business ethics and legal compliance from all our officers, employees, contractors, and other representatives.”

Makamu said that the allegations, untrue as they may be, put his life and reputation in danger.

“People are just careless in the way they talk about this. They see me and think that I took a bribe. If there is evidence, the whistleblower should approach the police, and make a statement,” he said. 

 Ramathuba has not yet responded to the allegations. According to insiders, she has been cautious to avoid legitimising baseless speculations.

Sources within the ANC said the allegations could have been work of disgruntled regional ANC leaders in the strife-torn Waterberg region.

By virtue of being Coghta MEC and provincial ANC deputy secretary, Makamu has been one of the key role players in the Waterberg region to quell infighting among ANC leaders that have spilled over into the five local municipalities.

The ANC has since lost two municipalities - Thabazimbi and Modimolle-Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) – which are governed by DA-led coalitions.