A letter he wrote to the Construction Sector Education and Training Authority shows how the mayor of ANC controlled Beaufort West, Truman Prince, tried to use a nationally managed tender process to siphon funds to the ANC. Chris Barron asked him . . . Is this how the ANC raises money for elections?No, no way. The ANC doesn't raise money this way.Why not?Normally there's a disjuncture between the author and the reader. And because we've got the most liberal constitution in the world, it's a conglomeration of all the best practices, it's a most beautiful ...story_article_left1I know, but where are we going with this? You seem to have come up with an interesting business model.It's not a business model. That's why I say normally there is a disjuncture between the author and the reader.Are we misunderstanding the letter you wrote?You will read the letter the way you want to interpret it. The letter is a democratic ... The ANC allows [us] to do that. Because the ANC brought in the new South Africa.The ANC allows this method of funding?No, the ANC allows every individual in South Africa, when he or she reads, to have his own interpretation. That's your democratic right.Your letter doesn't seem open to terribly much interpretation. It's fairly straightforward, isn't it?It's not as straightforward as it looks.It seems that what you're doing is trying to manipulate what should be an independent procurement process to benefit ANC-aligned companies and ANC coffers.Your interpretation is totally wrong.Where am I going wrong?You are going wrong when you say that I solicited a tender which is ANC-aligned. You know and I know that a tender must go out on advertisement for everybody to tender. What I'm saying is that we have the capacity to run such a process. I can never meddle in this. This has got nothing to do with who's going to get the tender ...mini_story_image_hright1So what do you mean when you say you want sympathetic construction companies to be given the tenders?In our region, all of the tenders in 21 years of democracy have gone to white contractors.Surely they must go to the most competitive bidder?I agree totally ... I cannot meddle in the administration of that process.What do you mean when you say in your letter that the ANC needs a "financial injection"?I'm saying most of the time there can be a disjuncture, a mismatch, between author and reader.But it's in black and white, isn't it? You write that the ANC is in need of a financial injection ahead of the elections.I cannot manoeuvre who is going to get the tender.But you want control of the tender process?Unfortunately the law doesn't allow me to control the process.Isn't that what you're asking for?No mayor can control the tenders to go to one side. What I'm saying is the financial injection can be - according to the tender document you're supposed to give 100 people work. So what I say is if there's a tender we will ask the bidder, whoever it is, is there a possibility to employ 200 people? So that's a financial injection, isn't it? Because if 200 people get a job, where do they spend that money? In the economy of Beaufort West.story_article_left2So what do you mean when you say you want to use the project as a "campaign tool"?We are an ANC-led council.Does that entitle you to use it to fund your election campaign?No, no, how can I do that?By rigging the bidding process to ensure that tenders go to ANC companies, which will pay you in return?That's total nonsense. You're reading between the lines.So why do you write that the ANC needs a financial injection ahead of the election?Whoever gets the tender, the employment must come from the ANC-led municipality. We produce names to the successful tenderer. So it's obvious that when we erect this state-of-the-art centre, we are an ANC-led government so the ANC will benefit. Financially and politically.Should the ANC benefit from projects funded by the taxpayer?The ANC must not benefit financially. The ANC must benefit in the sense that they can see the ANC is serious about service delivery.Isn't the end result of your attempted control of the process that prices are inflated?That's why I say we have got 50 years of experience ...story_article_right3Doing what?Doing procurement.If you've been doing procurement this way for 50 years, how come you've run out of money?We are the oldest municipality in South Africa, so we've got a sea of knowledge in procurement. Everything must be done within the parameter of the law, upfront, due diligence. But there must be a clause that local citizenry must be employed.But should you be writing a letter like this to an independent body?I'm not an administrator, I'm a politician. I cannot instruct them.So why are you telling them you want control of the process?I was never trying to meddle in their process.Do you agree that would be unethical?What's unethical for you is not unethical for me...