Kebble 'debtor' buys soccer club after telling trustees to f*** off

21 November 2010 - 02:04 By PHILANI NOMBEMBE
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

A former ANC Youth League leader, who is being squeezed to repay millions of rands to the trustees of Brett Kebble's estate, has bought himself a soccer club.

Lunga Ncwana unveiled his newly acquired Vodacom League team, Cape Town All Stars, at a bash in Khayelitsha two weeks ago at which he rubbed shoulders with government officials and dignitaries.

Guests included his friend Fikile Mbalula, a former youth league leader and now Minister of Sport, and Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini.

According to the Sowetan newspaper, Ncwana told guests: "We have invested a lot of money in this effort and want it to succeed."

At the party, Mbalula lauded him as a "visionary".

But the acquisition has raised the eyebrows of the trustees of Kebble's estate, who have been fighting a drawn-out legal battle to recover up to R14-million from Ncwana.

The slain mining magnate funnelled millions of rands to influential ANC politicians, allegedly in exchange for favours. Ncwana was a powerful member of the league in the Western Cape and is now a businessman.

Ncwana had told trustees that he used part of the R14-million to buy two Cape Town properties - one for himself in Constantia Kloof for R4.7-million and another for his mother in Newlands.

Trustee Hans Klopper, said this week: "We would like to find out exactly whether the team is registered in a company (and) who owns the shares in the company.

"Whatever gains he makes, we could attach. We won't attach the soccer team, but the rights in and to the franchise. We got a judgment against him, but it seems like he's got nothing. We seem to be arriving at an empty cupboard."

Ncwana on Friday said that the trustees could "f*** off" and dared them to take him to court.

"We've said before there is nothing going to happen in the matter. We are still waiting for the court date, and these guys are not pursuing the matter," he said.

"I'm busy doing deals every day. They know where the money went. They must pursue the person who stole the money. Simple.

"My vision is to develop young talent from the underprivileged areas and, in future, to have a proper standard of football that comes from Cape Town and those areas."

Klopper said Ncwana had applied for a rescission of a judgment granted against him in his personal capacity. However, litigation was proceeding against his family trust.

"We are now waiting for instructions from our creditors whether to proceed or not."

He could not say exactly how much money the trustees still hoped to recover.

Ncwana bought the soccer franchise from Cape Town businessman Shamiel Kolbee, who declined to divulge the price.

He would only say that he had sold the franchise for "hundreds of thousands of rands", adding that it cost around R1-million to keep the team operational each season.

"It's a lot of money. I can't release the amount, but it's a lot of money. It's very expensive to put a team there (in the Vodacom League).

"You need money for that league - big, big money. If you don't have sponsors, you're dead," he said.

Kolbee bought the franchise, which has been through several hands, in 2006. The club's products include Bafana Bafana midfielder Lance Davids and Kaizer Chiefs's Dominic Isaacs.

"Lunga showed me that he is the right man for the job. He's got the right heart. He wants to do what we want out of the township," he said.

Ncwana's financial woes began in November 2006, when notices sent out after in-camera sequestration hearings demanded the return of stolen money paid to the ANC via Kebble's personal account from 2002 to 2005.

At that time, the trustees demanded R2.4-million from the ANC in the Western Cape; R750000 from the ANC in the Eastern Cape; R6-million from the ANC Youth League; R14-million from Ncwana; and R860000 from another former league leader, Songezo Mjongile.

Ncwana said in 2007 that he had worked hard to earn over R13-million from Kebble, identifying business opportunities and advising him on political developments.

Klopper said the trustees had received payments only from the Democratic Alliance and Independent Democrats.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now