EFF probes Cape members over missing R100k donation

The EFF is investigating its former Western Cape secretary and three municipal councillors for allegedly defrauding the party of R100,000.

EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee told the Sunday Times that members of the party's legal department would fly to Cape Town to investigate the matter.

The party's former secretary in the province, Melikhaya Xego - who is also a proportional representation councillor in the Cape Town city council - is implicated, along with fellow Cape Town councillor in the city Ncedo Silas.

Other councillors suspected of having benefited from the alleged fraud are Andrew Snyders, of the Cape Winelands district municipality, and Lisolomzi "Ebby" Mfutwana, of the Swartland municipality on the west coast.

Documents show that the four persuaded a wealthy Constantia-based businessman to donate of R100,000 "towards financing and specifically our two conferences over the weekend of 16/17 June 2018".

But the money was deposited into an account belonging to Menclire Holdings, a company based in Malmesbury in which the four are listed as active directors, and never reached EFF coffers.

A "thank you" letter to the donor signed by Xego says: "While we understand that you don't necessarily agree with everything we stand for, we acknowledge that you recognise the importance of our role in securing economic freedom for all in SA in particular, and Africa in general."

Xego says in the letter that Menclire "is the business entity driving EFF principles and commitments within the Western Cape".

But Gardee denied this, saying the party had no links to such an entity.

He said EFF rules required that any donation should be paid into a party account. No members were allowed to receive cash payments in their accounts in the name of the party.

"I'm not aware of any policy of the EFF to have such an entity that receives money on behalf of the EFF … those are among some of the things that I will have to get a report on by the inquiry," said Gardee.

"To the extent possible, we encourage donors to pay invoices of the EFF directly to the service providers and not through exchanges of cash between EFF members and the donor," he said.

"Ordinarily, the money must come into an EFF account and if it's cash, an authorised person must receive it … We investigate things that we're not happy with."

Xego on Friday declined to discuss details of the fraud allegation.

"I'm saying that's an allegation itself, it must still be handled internally so that such kind of clarities could be brought to the organisation and we take it from there … I cannot have a comment on this matter until it is dealt with internally," he said.

Silas said he had no comment, and the other two councillors had not responded to requests for comment at the time of going to print.