ANC BEE Dealmakers Respond 2

Posted by Farrel Mon, 07 Aug 2006 12:46:00 GMT

Some of the recipients of multi-million Rand BEE deals are taking umbrage to the fact that they are now being labelled ‘fat-cats’ and that the ANC is looking to limit their future deal making ability. Smuts Ngonyama, presidential spokesperson and recipient of part of a R6 billion stake in Telkom, explains that he’s in it for purely altruistic motives:

Sunday he said he had entered the Telkom deal to ensure that some of the shares remained in South Africa after other stakeholders had sold their shares on the London Stock Exchange. He said it was not an empowerment deal and when people learned about the issues around the Telkom deal they would applaud his actions.

Why I’ve been so blind all this time. I could not see that his purchase (with borrowed money) was purely a charitable act. Remind me next time when I am solicited for funds for the new Oncology unit at Red Cross Children’s Hospital to reply “Sorry I’ve already committed to another charity. I need to purchase 1000 shares in Old Mutual.”.

Smuts states about the dealings of his fellow BEE recipients:

There is no crime that is committed by any individual.

While that may be true a lecturer once told my class that “What is legal, is not always what is right.” and that attempts to justify a decision with the excuse of legality is often the first indicator that something is not going to pass some ethical standard.

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  1. someamongus Tue, 08 Aug 2006 07:27:08 GMT

    Another quote of the year! You got a link for that Farrel?

  2. Farrel Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:05:19 GMT

    Whoops, my bad. I’ve updated the entry with a link.

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