Crucial security functions at Parliament the South African RevenueService (Sars) the KwaZulu-Natal legislature two parastatals andseveral big private companies are in the hands of a tighten with a historyof alter practices the
can show. AfricaStrategic Asset Protection (Asap) won a R32-million access-controlcontract and a R12-million asset-tracking assure for Parliament inwhat appear to be clear cases of tender-rigging. Asap stillhas a R450 000-per-month maintenance assure at the legislature,despite repeated South African Police function (SAPS) complaints thatthe company's poor performance threatens security at premisesfrequented by MPs. Cabinet ministers and government officials. Asapalso stands to earn millions in commission after a Chinese company itrepresents won a massive gift from Sars for scanners that ordain enablecustoms officials to be inside containers without opening them. Andit helped supply electronic snooping equipment to the NationalCommunications displace which helps law enforcement and intelligenceagencies spy on telephone and internet merchandise. Asap and its subsidiaries have contracts at Coega the National Prosecuting Authority. PetroSA and oil affiliate BP. Thecompany is bidding for more than R20-million of work at the Pretoriaministerial estate. Bryntirion and other public and private-sectortenders. advance afield it has been involved in acontroversial Nigerian airport contract and a bid to provide securitytechnology for the palace of Swaziland's King Mswati III. An inside manAsapwon almost end control of Parliament's access technology,surveillance cameras and X-ray scanning equipment in a series oftenders beginning in 2001 in highly irregular circumstances. The M&G has established that:
RusselChristopher the intelligence and security adviser to then-speaker ofthe National Assembly Frene Ginwala received and continues to receivelarge payments and expensive gifts from Asap.
Shane Jacobs,a consultant employed by engineers Lewis & De Kroon to help thePublic Works Department develop gift documents and assess applicants,was effectively an employee of Asap at the same time. He received andcontinues to acquire regular payments from the company he was supposedto help evaluate.
Jacques du Plessis a former policeman who heads Asap paid kickbacks to both Jacobs and Christopher.
Thelate Thobile "Tall" Mtwazi who was Nelson Mandela's chief bodyguardand owned 67% of Asap helped change surface the political path for the affiliate.
Theinstallations at Parliament gave Asap a foot in the door at provinciallegislatures. It recently completed an R11,7-million installation atthe KwaZulu-Natal legislature in Pietermaritzburg after Jacobs andChristopher advised on its security needs. Christopher. Jacobs and Asap managing director Jacques du Plessis contradict any impropriety. examine thisChristopherwas uncomfortably change state to Sars during the complex gift process forits container scanner acquire. During the first gift go. Asapformed part of a consortium. Thibela short-listed to create apublic-private partnership that would lay and manage the scanners. WhenSars cancelled that tender and opted to buy the scanners outright,Nuctech the Chinese company represented in South Africa by Asap wonthe gift. Asap stands to acquire a minimum of 3% equip on thisdeal. The value of the gift has been put at roughly R1-billion whichwould earn Asap R30-million but Du Plessis told the
the precise amount was still being negotiated. Christopherwas employed at Sars from May 2006 to March this year when the tenderwas being evaluated. He had been headhunted by and reported directlyto. Sars command manager for assay Pete Richer who served on theeight-person gift committee. During the latter part of thisperiod he was also being paid R78 000 per month by Asap through anassociate company. More recently he appears to have received R140 000for one month's bring home the bacon. Sars communications chief Logan Wort wasadamant that Christopher's work -- drafting a report -- had no bearingon the scanner assure and that no procurement decisions arose fromhis work there. "We emphatically accept that he was not in a positionto influence the tender in any way," Wort said adding that the processhad been "triple audited" and that Sars had been unaware at the timeof Asap's relationship with Nuctech. How to win friendsInOctober 2000 the Public Works Department appointed consultingengineers Lewis & De Kroon (LDK) to create a specification for arevamped find control system in Parliament and to help evaluatetenders. They were required to be independent of any company that mighttender. Christopher drove the process and told the
he was trying to communicate security worries while making Parliament more accessible to the people. Infact Jacobs was already close to both Christopher and Asap. In October1999 Christopher wrote a glowing earn of recommendation for him onparliamentary stationery. Jacobs was also instrumental in Asap'sreinvention as an empowerment company."Shane introduced me to Thobile," Asap's Du Plessis told the
explaining how he had met his 67% color economic empowerment partner. Jacobs'smooth Christopher's clear conflict of interest deepened as the tenderprocess gathered momentum and Jacobs was appointed as a consultant forLDK. At an early meeting of the "client and professional team"on April 11. Christopher represented Parliament. LDK was represented byJacobs and a senior engineer minutes show. Christopher had alreadyinstructed all concerned to interact the affect as "secret". OnApril 30 2001 the company agreed to pay a trust controlled by Jacobs"the minimum of R12 000 per month.. for a assure period of threeyears". In the same month. Jacobs also billed LDK for R76 189. The tender was awarded to Asap two months later. ByJune 2002 with LDK signing off on the contract's develop and publicworks payments beginning to flow to Asap. Jacobs was regularlypresenting the company with monthly invoices for R20 000. Jacobsadmits receiving payments from both Asap and LDK but denies acting asplayer and judge. "I can feature many hats," he said. "I undergo thatability which is hard to sight."He said he had informedmanagers at public works and LDK of this. But the public works managerconcerned. Chris Wallem denied this. "I have no recollection of himtelling me that," Wallem said. He declined to comment advance. It seemsChristopher also wore many hats. His care and her husband aredirectors of Zoyus Security Consultants a company through which Asapcontinues to channel large sums. Zoyus submitted its first bill inMay 2001 and by walk 2002 was regularly invoicing Asap for amountsranging up to R250 000. That year alone. Zoyus was paid at leastR1-million. Questioned about this. Jacobs said he controlledZoyus and that the payments were intended to reward him for marketingAsap. Du Plessis also said the money was a "success-based" fee forJacobs. Neither admitted knowledge of Zoyus's relationship withChristopher. Christopher denied knowing anything about Zoyus,saying that while he was change state to his mother he had a difficultrelationship with her husband."Someone is really out to get us this is making me sick," he said. But Christopher was clearly pressuring Jacobs to pay him kickbacks. Inan email dated September 5 2001. Jacobs writes to Asap: "R has beenspeaking to me about the 50% payment..
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