Nqakula shows bank statements to prove innocence of tender fraud

The ANC’s regional co-ordinator in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, Luyolo Nqakula, has refuted claims that he received kickbacks from a toilet tender and on Friday he allowed the media to peruse his personal business accounts.

SACP district secretary Lunga Nombexeza opened a case of fraud and corruption against Nqakula at the Humewood police station on Thursday, saying he had received R300,000 from a Free State company that was contracted by the city to deliver toilets to informal settlements.

Nqakula said the allegations were just a smear campaign against him, aimed at compromising his integrity.

“The ANC has a clear stance and position when it comes to corruption and as such, even though I am not in the employ of government, by virtue of the position I occupy in the ANC, I have a full appreciation of where possible areas of conflict may arise,” he said.

“That is why I have taken this step of laying bare my business accounts.”

He said he wanted to make clear which entities he was associated with and provided the Herald with six months of bank statements for Yem Yem consulting and NQK communications and consulting.

“I have done this exercise to paint a picture and draw a context that what was done in Humewood was nothing but a smear.”

Nqakula said he was also making a call to all those who were assigned responsibilities by the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay to also open their personal business accounts for scrutiny.

“I am making a call to my comrades particularly those who were at Humewood yesterday [Thursday] and I am making a call to my colleagues in the mayoral committee to do the same exercise as I have, so it is  difficult for allegations of corruption to be made against them as individuals,” Nqakula said.

He said such allegations dented the image of the ANC.

“We must take the public into our confidence so that as public representatives we are able to show transparency.

“Because we cannot run away from the fact that corruption is a serious cancer in society and affects the delivery of services to our people.”

He said he had not been obliged to make his personal accounts public, but because of the allegations and because he was entrusted with responsibility by the ANC, he had moved quickly.

Nqakula said he would be taking the necessary legal recourse to see the matter concluded.

SACP spokesperson Lazola Pukwana said Nqakula was not taking the matter seriously if he thought journalists could conduct a lifestyle audit.

“We are open to a lifestyle audit. I have businesses and I am willing to have my books checked.

“But Nqakula knows how an audit is done and what he did was just a stunt to deflect [the accusation].”

Pukwana said though he could not go into detail about what proof there was against Nqakula, all evidence had been handed over to the authorities and it included “quotes and invoices that reflect not only inflated pricing costs but also the links or association to our leaders in NMB”.