Opinion

Victim of assassination, or a failed vehicle hijack? Time and forensic investigation will provide the answer to mining magnate Brett Kebble's murder on Tuesday evening in Melrose, but some signs suggest a targeted killing. This is a view supported by his lawyer Willem Heath and those who saw him as an outspoken individual with business and political enemies. Curiously, the police seem keen to create the impression that this was just another Johannesburg hijacking.

Kebble possessed enormous wealth, illustrated by numerous expensive properties and vehicles. This was derived from his position as director of several mining houses, where he was renowned for quick deals with a black empowerment flavour. Recently he was forced to resign his business posts after allegations of poor corporate governance involving shares.

Kebble personified the problematic nexus between capital and the ruling party. A major donor to the ANC, partner of Lembede (the Youth League's investment arm), and believed to be a financial sponsor of Jacob Zuma, he was highly connected among the political elite. His gifts to the ANC (the sum of R500 000 is commonly mentioned) he described as destined for the promotion of democracy. He was also a benefactor of the arts, particularly well-known as the sponsor of awards. And above all his name was frequently attached to the adjective "controversial".

This was particularly true after the investigative magazine noseweek printed a story late last year about his tax affairs. It was revealed that Kebble's record of tax return submission was both haphazard and lacking in the detail normally required by the Receiver. Indeed it would appear that since 1994, in spite of amassing considerable wealth, Kebble used various ruses to downplay his tax liability to zero. Investigators concluded that a tax assessment amounting to a staggering R100 million would be appropriate, but in July 2003 the case was closed after high-level intervention. The suspicious might connect this extraordinary good fortune to the purchase of political influence.

Politicians have heaped praise on Kebble as an outstanding businessman. This is a risky stance when there is strong evidence that he avoided paying massive sums in tax to a government grappling with apartheid's legacy of widespread poverty. And Kebble's reputation as a philanthropist must also be put under scrutiny: exactly how much of the largesse he dispersed so generously was legitimately his to give away?

For a political party with its roots in the Freedom Charter and an alliance with the Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions the ANC has strange friends in the business world. If Kebble's death is shown to be the result of a professional hit, this could pose more awkward questions for the government.

With acknowledgement to The Natal Witness.