Black Land leader begged Guptas for funds, e-mails show

01 June 2017 - 08:13 By SIPHE MACANDA and KYLE COWAN
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Andile Mngxitama. File photo.
Andile Mngxitama. File photo.
Image: Gallo Images / Beeld / Deaan Vivier

Black First Land First leader Andile Mngxitama went cap in hand asking for financial backing from the Gupta family last year, leaked e-mails show.

Reports have alleged the former EFF MP might be bankrolled by the Guptas, but he has strenuously denied this. But he has actively supportedthe family and their company in public.

Mngxitama has consistently denied he was funded by the family, most recently at BLF's first-year anniversary doin Soweto in May 14.

"You are writing rubbish!" Mngxitama said yesterday, after TimesLIVE reported he had not responded to multiple phone calls and an SMS asking for comment.

He accused reporters of lying. "I don't give a f*ck, man," he said, demanding evidence that he spoke to Gupta family associates.

But he certainly went to the Guptas and asked for money, the e-mails show.

In e-mail exchanges in 2016 with then Oakbay CE Nazeem Howa, Mngxitama expresses gratitude to Howa, referring to a meeting they had recently held.

In the e-mails, seen by The Times, Mngxitama writes: "Brother Nazeem it was good to meet and to learn a bit more about your thinking and the truth around this renewed attacks from imperialism and its agents [sic]. Keep strong and keep doing the right thing."

Howa forwards the e-mail to Atul Gupta, informing him that Mngxitama had requested funding.

"Hope all is well your side. I met with this fellow. He wrote a good piece about us in Sunday Indy this past weekend. He wants funding for his organisation. I explained that as business people, we have taken [a] conscious decision to stay out of politics," the e-mail reads.

Without responding to the e-mail, Atul Gupta forwards it to a "Shivani" and Tony Gupta. Further e-mails indicate Mngxitama met another Sahara employee, Santosh Choubey, at least once in March 2016.

Choubey said yesterday that he used to work in sales and marketing at Sahara, the Gupta-owned computer company: "I have no recollection of any of this. I no longer work there."

The leaked document suggests an exchange of at least 10 e-mails between Choubey and Mngxitama between February and March, the final exchange confirming a meeting at a restaurant in Sandton.

"It is a fake e-mail you created. You have created a fake e-mail. You will have to show where you got the e-mail," Mngxitama said yesterday. "You have created the e-mail to defend white monopoly capital."

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