Whereabouts of ‘war room’ man Nkadimeng hard to pin down

Businessman Joseph Nkadimeng‚ who was named as a key character in the setting up a “war room” to win municipal election votes for the ANC‚ is not an easy man to find.

A TMG Digital team visited the offices used last year as the war room’s headquarters at a two-storey office block and was told‚ upon enquiring about his whereabouts: “We don’t know a Mr Nkadimeng or his company”.

Grey-tiled steps and red-brick walls line the entrance to the offices in Crescent Drive at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg.

• 'War room was no secret'The ANC's election war-room saga continued yesterday with Shaka Sisulu confirming that he worked briefly as part of the media team, but dismissed the claim that it was a covert operation. 

A public relations expert‚ Sihle Bolani‚ took the ANC to court on Tuesday‚ claiming that she was owed R2.2-million for work done by her company during the campaign and in the process spilled the beans on how it flopped and was eventually canned. The millions did not materialise.

She identified the location of the offices in her court papers‚ which also suggested that the plan ultimately flopped due to a series of issues such as a lack of office space on the first floor‚ no internet and incompetent colleagues.

She claimed that the “black ops” campaign was hatched under the leadership of Nkadimeng and struggle stalwart Walter Sisulu's grandson‚ Shaka Sisulu.

Nkadimeng is linked to a separate company which has offices – according to company records – in the same building.

• ‘Cope was the first victim of ANC’s war room’The ANC’s so-called “black ops” campaign is at least eight years old. That’s if Dennis Bloem is to be believed. 

But when TMG Digital visited the building on Wednesday‚ the glass doors were locked and enquiries on the intercom were met with: “We don’t know a Mr Nkadimeng or his company.”

There was no indication of Nkadimeng’s business on the front entrance‚ which listed the names of other tenants involved‚ whose were involved in asset management and travel consultancy.

Attempts to reach Nkadimeng on various landlines and his mobile phone proved fruitless. Staff at one of his business numbers said he was working “on site” at OR Tambo International Airport and was unreachable.

Text messages sent to his cellphone did not elicit any response.

– TMG Digital/TimesLIVE