The Baleka Mbete / Goldfields / M&G Story

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The Mail&Guardian must retract its story that ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete was bribed by Gold Fields and apologise to her and the ANC, the party said on Tuesday.

"In their eagerness to discredit the national chairperson and the ANC, the paper published a story that is flimsy, unsubstantiated and is just an exercise in slander," it said in a statement.

"The Mail&Guardian deliberately uses this headline ['Gold Fields bribed ANC Chair'] with an intention to be sensational, defamatory and slanderous."

The ANC statement was described as "completely over the top" by one of the authors of the story, and the managing partner of the M&G centre for investigative journalism, Stefaans Brummer.

"We stand by our story which was clearly in the public interest," he said.

The newspaper reported on Friday that Gold Fields buried a New York law firm's finding that a R25m share allocation to Mbete constituted bribery.

The law firm, which was commissioned by Gold Fields, found it had increased Mbete's cut in a contentious 2010 empowerment deal in response to an alleged threat by her representative.

The ANC said on Monday that it and Mbete reserved the right to "seek legal counsel and recourse to address this libellous and defamatory act".

It said claims that Mbete was bribed were not proved or substantiated in the story.

"Nowhere in this story is it reported how, when, why and who bribed the ANC national chairperson," the ANC said.

"Of their own admission, the paper clearly states that it does not know how the national chairperson would have done this [sunk the deal]."

Brummer said the ANC and Mbete were completely within their rights to seek legal advice, and should they bring action, the story would be "vigorously" defended.

"The story contains substantive details of the alleged threat by Ms Mbete's representative that the deal would be scuttled unless Ms Mbete's stake was substantially increased," he said.

"[It also contains details on how] Gold Fields in fact responded to the alleged threat by increasing her stake with an amount of about R25 million.

"The ANC's allegation is without merit".

According to the newspaper, the deal was reportedly hatched in 2010, in response to a mineral resources department requirement that the company secure an empowerment partner for its South Deep mine. The company was then applying for a new-order licence for the mine.

It reported that Mbete's representative Brian Mosehla had "threatened to scuttle" the deal unless Mbete was given a bigger stake.


Source : Sapa /aa/fg/cls/ks
Date : 10 Sep 2013 16:27
 
Last edited:
Choice number [3], [4] and [5]
(3) Lodge a complaint with the M&G press ombud to determine the merits of of the complaint
(4) Lodge a complaint with the Press Ombud through the Press Council machinery
(5) Use mechanism 3 and 4.

If the story is false I'd go with (5) if it is true (2)
 
South Africa's Gold Fields says under U.S. SEC investigation

South African bullion producer Gold Fields said on Tuesday it was being investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over a $210 million black empowerment deal involving a senior member of the ruling party.

Gold Fields, which is also listed in the United States and so subject to scrutiny from U.S. regulators, said in a statement it was being probed over the 2010 deal and the granting of a mining license for its South Deep mine near Johannesburg.

The 2.1 billion rand ($210 million) transaction saw Gold Fields give a 9 percent stake in South Deep to a group of black investors to meet government targets for black economic empowerment (BEE), including black ownership.

The ruling African National Congress has championed BEE to redress the inequalities left by white-minority rule, which ended in 1994.

Critics say BEE has mainly benefited a narrow elite of politically connected individuals and failed to transform what is still one of the world's most unequal societies.

The South Deep deal has come under particular scrutiny because the beneficiaries include ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete, as well as relatives of anti-apartheid heroes including Nelson Mandela.

The ANC said in a statement it was considering legal action against the Mail & Guardian newspaper for an article last week that alleged Mbete used her political clout to benefit from the deal.

Gold Fields, South Africa's second-biggest gold producer by revenue, said last month an independent investigation found the implementation of the transaction did not meet its own standards and Chief Executive Nick Holland has waived his 2013 bonus as a result.

The company has not released the results of the investigation, which it commissioned following local press reports about the deal.

GOVERNMENT PRESSURE

Former Gold Fields chairwoman Mamphela Ramphele - who has since founded a party to challenge the ANC - told the Business Day newspaper in March the firm had come under government pressure to include specific shareholders in the deal.

Gold Fields has said Ramphele's comments represent her personal view.

Holland himself told Business Day in 2012: "In discussing the details around South Deep we got stuck: there were certain people who decided they had a lot of power and authority and they were going to wield it."

The company has said it wanted to identify people who had "contributed to the successful and peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa," as beneficiaries for the deal.

The deal has also made headlines because of the participation of Gayton McKenzie, a flashy ex-convict-turned-businessman and motivational speaker.

McKenzie wrote in his 2013 book "A Hustler's Bible" that he was "appointed to lead the Gold Fields mining license application".

"I made them understand that they had a big problem at their company with their license application," he wrote.

Gold Fields has dismissed allegations that McKenzie used his influence to place politically connected individuals in the deal in order to secure a license for South Deep.

"It is critical to note that the South Deep license was awarded before the participants in the BEE consortium were finalized," the company said in a statement last year.

Shares of Gold Fields were down 0.9 percent at 51.80 rand at 1418 GMT. ($1 = 9.9795 South African rand)
Click to expand...
 
Compton_effect said:
This one is going to turn nasty.
Click to expand...

If there is guilt, I hope it does. So many of these deals are made with the rich at the expense of the very people who could benefit most from this.

And the ANC continues its rhetoric that it is the only way to economic prosperity? Se voet! :mad:
 
Hawks must probe Mbete: DA

The Hawks should probe claims that ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete accepted a bribe from mining company Gold Fields, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.

"The [mining] deal and Mbete's alleged acceptance of a bribe might be investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the justice department in the United States of America, according to media reports," DA MP James Lorimer said in a statement.

"South Africa's investigative authorities, particularly the Hawks, have a duty to investigate corruption and serious economic offences and cannot leave this to international organisations."

Hawks' spokesman Captain Paul Ramaloko said the Hawks had not received a request in this regard from the DA by Monday, but would welcome it.

"We will look at the allegation and do some homework surrounding the allegation. If we are convinced that there are elements that point to wrongdoing we will investigate it."

The Mail&Guardian reported earlier this month that Gold Fields buried a New York law firm's finding that a R25 million share allocation to Mbete constituted bribery.

The law firm, which was commissioned by Gold Fields, found the mining company had increased Mbete's cut in a contentious 2010 empowerment deal in response to an alleged threat by her representative.

According to the newspaper, the deal was hatched in 2010, in response to a mineral resources department requirement that the company secure an empowerment partner for its South Deep mine. The company was then applying for a new-order licence for the mine.

It reported that Mbete's representative Brian Mosehla had "threatened to scuttle" the deal unless Mbete was given a bigger stake.

The ANC said on Tuesday that the newspaper should retract the story and apologise to Mbete and the party.

The party said it and Mbete reserved the right to "seek legal counsel and recourse to address this libellous and defamatory act".

Lorimer said on Monday that the allegations surrounded the issue of mining, which was vital in creating jobs and driving development in South Africa.

"If our mining industry is to attract the investment it requires in order to flourish, it needs to be credible," Lorimer said.

"Corrupt activities, or even the perception of corruption, will drive away investment and threaten jobs. The industry must be clean and must be seen to be corruption free."


Source : Sapa /aa/hdw/jk/cls
Date : 16 Sep 2013 13:58
 
ANC takes M&G to Press Ombudsman

The African National Congress has lodged a complaint against the Mail & Guardian with the Press Ombudsman, the party said on Friday.

ANC national chairwoman Baleka Mbete submitted the complaint to the ombudsman this week over reporting about her on September 6 and 13, spokesman Jackson Mthembu said.

"The ANC supports the national chairperson's assertion that the Mail & Guardian has deliberately sought to distort and misrepresent information," he said.

The newspaper reported that mining company Gold Fields "buried" a New York law firm's finding that a R25 million share allocation to Mbete constituted bribery.


Source : Sapa /dm/hdw/jk/th/jje
Date : 20 Sep 2013 15:20
 
A FORMER deputy director-general of the mineral resources department (DMR), Jacinto Rocha, told BDLive that the department did not force Gold Fields into a specific empowerment deal on its South Deep mine as suggested by Mamphela Ramphele, the former chairperson of the gold company.

“As a department we did nothing wrong. We didn’t tell Nick Holland [Gold Fields CEO] to bring Gayton McKenzie to act as a consultant," Rocha told the publication.

"Apart from informing Gold Fields that the ‘once empowered, always empowered’ principle didn’t exist and that they needed to do another empowerment deal, we never dictated to them on the nature of the deal and who to include,” he said.

Gold Fields is currently the subject of an inquiry by the US's Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) into an empowerment deal with Invictus Gold which consists of a number of political figures.

In March Ramphele told BDLive said: "The South African government had shoved the list of some of Invictus Gold’s black economic empowerment shareholders down Gold Fields’ throat, with an ultimatum that if the preferred names were not taken on board it would be denied a mining licence".
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http://www.miningmx.com/page/news/o...E-deal-not-forced-on-Gold-Fields#.UkKsroZkOSo
 
marine1 said:
I bet my lunch she is guilty.
My humble opinion
Click to expand...

Goldfields already admitted it, but didn't go as far as to name Mbete. They've already fired and suspended people following their own investigation. She's as guilty as sin...
 
Hawks to probe Mbete Gold Fields deal

Johannesburg - The Hawks would investigate allegations of corruption and bribery in a Gold Fields empowerment transaction involving ANC chairperson Baleka Mbete, Beeld reported on Monday.

Major General Hans Meiring, head of the Hawks' commercial crimes unit, confirmed the investigation in a letter to the Democratic Alliance after the party asked for a probe earlier this month.

"You are herewith advised that the content of your letter was read and the information is being reviewed by the directorate of priority crime investigations [Hawks] through an investigation for the purpose of determining whether there are any criminal actions, and, if so who the perpetrators are," Meiring's letter stated.

This follows reports that a New York law firm found that a R25m share allocation to Mbete allegedly constituted bribery.

Commissioned by Gold Fields, the firm alleged that Mbete's increased cut in the 2010 deal was in response to a threat by her representative.

Mbete has said she was invited to join the empowerment group in 2010 and was not aware of any impropriety relating to the deal.

The African National Congress has complained to the Press Ombudsman over the Mail & Guardian which first wrote about the deal.

That newspaper reported that mining company Gold Fields allegedly "buried" the law firm's report.

The DA welcomed the investigation by the Hawks.

DA MP James Lorimer said in a statement on Sunday: "We trust that the Hawks will be afforded the opportunity to investigate without fear or favour and with the full co-operation from everyone involved."
Click to expand...
 
She's not guilty until she crosses paths with Zuma, until such time she is a victim....
 
Ombudsman dismisses Mbete's M&G complaint

The Press Ombudsman has dismissed a complaint by ANC chairwoman Baleka Mbete over a recent Mail & Guardian headline about her.

However, the newspaper was ordered to apologise to Mbete about the content of another article.

The newspaper had to apologise for claiming Mbete misused state funds for her own benefit and for neglecting to state she was found not guilty after having received an illegal driver's licence, , Ombudsman Johan Retief said in his ruling on Friday.

It also needed to apologise for casting doubt on Mbete's integrity and dignity without enough justification to do so.

"I cannot determine if the reporter deliberately caused Mbete unnecessary harm by publishing unfair comments about her without justification to do so, causing her huge unnecessary harm. What I can say, though, is that the article surely resulted in just that," he said.

Mbete and the African National Congress complained about the article headlined "Mbete looks out for number one -- Behind the Gold Fields pickle is a powerful politician who favours progress over principle" on September 13.

Mbete complained that the story intended to cast aspersions on her integrity and her standing in society.

Retief found that the newspaper had breached certain sections of the Press Code.

He dismissed some of Mbete's complaints and her arguments.

The Mail & Guardian was directed to publish an apology. Retief said the newspaper could appeal the ruling within seven working days.

In the second complaint, the ANC and Mbete complained about the headline of a story published on September 6.

Mbete and the ANC claimed that the headline "Gold Fields bribed Mbete --US investigators have concluded that a R25 million share handout to Baleka Mbete constituted corruption by Gold Fields, which then buried the findings" was deliberately misleading and defamatory and did not reflect the story.

Mbete did not complain about the actual content but said the headline had caused her, her family, and the ANC "unwarranted harm".

The Mail & Guardian argued that Mbete omitted to state that the headline had been presented as reported speech by the use of quotations marks, signifying an allegation or opinion. It also argued that the headline was accompanied by a subheader that both attributed the reported speech to an "identified accused", and gave context to the accusation.

In his finding on the headline, Retief found that the newspaper correctly stated "if the report itself was justified, which is common cause as it is not complained about, and the headline reasonably reflected it, the complaint must fail".

He therefore dismissed Mbete's complaint.


Source : Sapa /gq/jk/mjs
Date : 29 Nov 2013 13:52
 
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