Publication: Sunday Times Issued: Date: 2005-12-04 Reporter: Dominic Mahlangu Reporter: Wisani wa ka Ngobeni Reporter: Dumisane Lubisi

ANC Boss Probed for Subversion

 

Publication 

Sunday Times

Date

2005-12-04

Reporter

 Dominic Mahlangu,
Wisani wa ka Ngobeni, Dumisane Lubisi

Web Link

www.sundaytimes.co.za

 

Investigators want to question secretary-general as saga of hoax e-mails takes a dramatic turn

Police and the Inspector-General of Intelligence are investigating the possibility that ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe was party to producing hoax e-mails that sought to discredit ANC heavyweights.

The e-mails purported to be correspondence between Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, businessman Saki Macozoma and others, in which they appeared to be plotting to destroy Motlanthe and former Deputy President Jacob Zuma’s political careers.

But the Sunday Times has established that police believe they were manufactured to discredit their supposed authors and are seeking to question Motlanthe about the origin of the e-mails.

In an unprecedented move, police are also preparing to raid the offices of the National Intelligence Agency.

“Something like this has never been seen in this country,” said one government official.

Suspended NIA chief Billy Masetlha is also implicated.

Motlanthe was one of the first people to bring the e-mails to the attention of law enforcement agencies.

Last week he distributed copies of the e-mails at a meeting of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) resulting in a heated debate on the plots alleged in the e-mails.

The allegation linking Motlanthe to the origination of the e-mails is likely to deepen the fallout sparked by President Thabo Mbeki’s firing of Zuma.

Motlanthe is considered by many as a possible candidate to succeed Mbeki.

Repeated attempts by the Sunday Times to get responses from Motlanthe and Masetlha were unsuccessful.

Masetlha’s lawyer, Imraan Haffegee, said yesterday his client was not available for comment.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said the party would not comment on police investigations, adding he could not get hold of Motlanthe yesterday.

Government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe said he was “not in a position to comment on the matter”.

Captain Dennis Adriao, spokesman for Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, said police would reserve comment on the matter.

High-ranking government officials told the Sunday Times that police this week detained and questioned a top information technology (IT) company executive, whose name is known to the Sunday Times and who has business ties with Motlanthe, suspected of masterminding the e-mail campaign.

Police are investigating a case of impersonation and subversion. The IT executive was approached for comment but did not return calls.

The Sunday Times has also established that police raided the Johannesburg house of the executive on Wednesday and seized computer equipment.

Preliminary investigations have found 73 pages of the “originals of the e-mails” on computer hard drives. They have also discovered communication between the IT executive, Motlanthe and Masetlha.

The communication has also linked the three to the NIA’s cyber unit manager, Funi Madlala, who was arrested last month for failing to co-operate with Intelligence Inspector-General Zolile Ngcakani’s investigation.

Imtiaz Faizel, chief operations officer in Ngcakani’s office, confirmed that the probe into the e-mails had now been extended to include civilians.

Madlala was apparently the “go- between” between the IT executive, Motlanthe and Masetlha. Madlala claimed to have intercepted the e-mails.

Masetlha has said in court papers challenging his suspension that Madlala was his “courier”.

The e-mails implicate top ANC figures in an alleged plot to tarnish the image of Motlanthe and Zuma.

Among those named as part of the plot are Mlambo-Ngcuka, her husband, former Scorpions boss Bulelani Ngcuka, Macozoma, Presidency director-general Frank Chikane, government spokesman Netshitenzhe and present Scorpions boss Vusi Pikoli.

The NIA used the e-mails to justify its controversial surveillance of Macozoma. The surveillance was found to have been illegal by Ngcakani’s investigation.

Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils, who has described the e-mails as a hoax, suspended Masetlha and two top spies on October 20 based on Ngcakani’s investigation. Kasrils also asked Ngcakani to probe the origins of the e-mails.

Kasrils’s spokesman, Lorna Daniels, yesterday refused to comment.

Masetlha’s suspension, which has the backing of Mbeki and his Cabinet, has been seen as part of the battle between Mbeki and Zuma over the succession issue.

Masetlha, who served under Zuma in the ANC intelligence during the apartheid struggle, is seen as sympathetic to Zuma.

Mbeki has been accused of using state machinery to settle political battles in the party. Mbeki has denied this. Two weeks ago, he said: “I cannot simply bend rules to suit myself.”

Meanwhile, Xolani Xundu reports that Macozoma has broken his silence, accusing the NIA of fabricating the e-mails. “They had no reason [for the surveillance], so they manufactured e-mails to create an impression that they had one,” he said.

With acknowledgements to Wisani wa ka Ngobeni, Dumisane Lubisi, Dominic Mahlangu and Sunday Times.