BBC wants its missing millions

The two top Black Business Council (BBC) officials say they have handed over the matter of a R5m donation from the Airports Company SA (Acsa) that never found its way into the organisation’s coffers to group called the ‘BBC stalwarts’.

City Press on Sunday, 26 November, reported that the BBC had relieved two of its top three officials, BBC chairperson Sello Rasethaba and secretary-general George Sebulela, of their duties this week in relation to a R5m donation from the Airports Company SA (Acsa) that never found its way into the organisation’s coffers.

However, on Sunday, the Rasethaba and Sebulela sent out a media statement disputing this.

“The two national office bearers volunteered for the Acsa donation matter to be handed over to the BBC Stalwarts in order to avoid conflict and tensions among the national office bearers.  Sebulela and Rasethaba have completed their investigation and have submitted a detailed report,'' said Sebulela in a statement.

In a related development, a group of BBC stalwarts are to take over the work of Rasethaba and Sebulela, according to a set of resolutions by the BBC’s national executive committee seen by City Press.

The BBC also seems set to lay fraud and theft charges against a fundraiser, who claims he accidentally paid R5m destined for the BBC to another, unnamed client.

The BBC’s lawyers have written a letter of demand to the now former fundraiser, Dominic Ntsele, demanding this money.

Ntsele claims it is all a misunderstanding and that the R5m was accidentally paid to another client. He has admitted the error and agreed to come up with the cash, he said.

He told City Press on Friday that he was working as a fundraiser for the BBC as well as another organisation, whose name he would not divulge, saying it would not be fair to “embroil” them.

“I approached Acsa on behalf of two organisations asking for the same amount – R5m for each,” he told City Press.

The BBC was evidently completely unaware of this because it approached Acsa itself to get funding for a golf day it was planning in August, only to be told that Acsa had already given money to the council.

According to Ntsele, Acsa CEO Bongani Maseko agreed to both R5m sponsorships – and the money was to be paid to an intermediary, which would relay it to the BBC and Ntsele’s other client.

Acsa, however, denies that Ntsele was involved.

“No. Our support for the BBC was not based on any representations made by Mr Ntsele,” Acsa said in an emailed response to questions from City Press.

The company did confirm that it made a R5m donation to the BBC “to fund its Economic Transformation Advocacy Programme”.

“The donation of R5 million was paid in two tranches of R2.5m each,” said the Acsa representative.

“The sponsorship tranches were paid on April 25 and May 31 on the basis of bank account details provided by the BBC.”

This contradicts Ntsele’s account.

He claims to have had a written mandate from BBC president Danisa Baloyi to represent the council after having negotiated a fundraising role with the organisation last year.

It is not clear why the two are affected as the allegations centre on Ntsele, while Rasethaba and Sebulela were, in fact, tasked with investigating the missing money, according to sources in the BBC.

Ntsele claims that the idea was that the next R5 million from Acsa would go to the BBC.

NEC RESOLUTION ON THE ACSA DONATION

City Press has seen messages exchanged in a WhatsApp group of BBC stalwarts after they held meetings this past week.

A member of the group, Sathie Gounden, told City Press via SMS that the matter was “sub judice” and he could not discuss it.

Another BBC stalwart, Tommy Oliphant, said a meeting had been scheduled for Friday afternoon.

A national executive committee (NEC) resolution, circulated among the stalwarts this week, “recommended that Dr Baloyi ... lay fraud charges against Mr Dominic Ntsele, the fundraiser for the letter purported to be from Dr Baloyi to ... Mr Bongani Maseko, dated March 29 2017”.

Ntsele told City Press that Baloyi had written a letter to Acsa, vouching that he does represent them as a fundraiser.

The resolutions seen by City Press also “instructed Ms. Sindi Mzamo, the treasurer-general, to lay charges under The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004, or related legislation, for the theft of BBC funds”.

It goes on to state that the stalwarts should “take control of all tasks assigned to the chairman and secretary-general as per the extracts of the minutes as well as prior instructions and other resolutions.

A source said this is a kind of “soft suspension” for the two leaders until they answer to allegations.

“Nobody has been suspended,” said Oliphant.

City Press tried to contact everyone mentioned in this article for comment, but not all of them responded.

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