MPs halt ANC rhino deal

Parliament wants to halt a controversial government donation of rhino, buffalo and other high-value game worth R100-million to a group of ANC-connected businessmen.

Last week parliament's portfolio committee on environmental affairs said North West MEC for agriculture Manketse Tlhape had admitted in a hearing that she'd violated the Public Finance Management Act and regulations governing disposal of state assets when her department donated the game, although she disputes this.

The committee grilled her on the policy followed in making the donation, and the impact on breeding viability of parks that had supplied the animals.

"We welcome the concession by MEC Tlhape that the process followed to donate the high-value game species was not in complete compliance with the Public Finance Management Act," chairman Philemon Mapulane said

The committee "strongly advised the MEC and the department to stop the process of further donation of the outstanding game (until the committee's) concerns have been fully addressed", he said.

Tlhape has been given until next Monday to submit a paper trail on how the donations were made.

The deal was exposed by the Sunday Times last year. It involved donating 130 buffalo, 50 white rhino, 50 sable antelope and 32 nyala worth R100-million to a company called Southern Africa Rare Game Breeders Holdings.

To date no rhino and only 31 sable, 25 buffalo and 29 nyala have been donated. Most of the remaining animals are in quarantine.

The deal was presented as an empowerment scheme to allow black farmers to gain entry to the R20-billion-a- year game breeding industry with a government donation of surplus stock in state parks.

The company was set up by former Rustenburg mayor Matthew Wolmarans, his former municipal manager Andries Boshoff and construction magnate Mike de Kock, who has scored road building contracts worth R1.4-billion from the same municipality.

The deal was never advertised and did not go out to tender, leading to questions about how the company was selected.

Wolmarans was appointed ANC local election co-ordinator last year.

Thlape's spokesman, person Tsholofelo Dintwe, said the department had ''never conceded that it didnt fully comply with the PFMA during its appearance before the committee this week''.

''The game donation project was subjected to a regulatory audit and there were no findings in terms of the Annual Reports 2015-2016 for both NorthWest Parks and the department,'' Dintwe said.