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“We are not in the business of diamonds, we are in the business of politics.”
Mthembu was responding to an article in the Mail & Guardian, according to which the South African military’s involvement in the CAR had been entwined with ANC-linked deals.
It reported that Didier Pereira, a special adviser to ousted CAR president Francois Bozize, partnered with “ANC hard man” Joshua Nxumalo and the ANC’s funding arm, Chancellor House, to secure a diamond export monopoly from in the CAR.
In 2006 Pereira signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the CAR mining ministry. It was intended to create a public-private partnership, Inala Centrafrique. A South African company, Serengeti Group, which was majority-owned by Nxumalo, had a 65 percent stake in it.
Inala’s attempts to control diamond mining in the CAR failed by March 2008, the M&G said.
Mthembu said the ANC was not a signatory to the MoU.
“This matter started in 2006… To my knowledge, the ANC is not a signatory,” he said.
“Secondly the ANC has no interest in the CAR . . . We don’t know what was uploaded in the MoU. The ANC cannot comment on why troops were deployed to the CAR, only government can comment on that.”
He said the MoU was signed long before Jacob Zuma became president.
“That was under Cde Thabo Mbeki’s time. We think people who can explain why our troops were there (in the CAR) is our government and the SA National Defence Force.”
Mthembu said the ANC did not get involved in government matters.
“We don’t interfere on issues of government. As the ANC we have no business interests. It is very disingenuous for the ANC’s name to be dragged (into this).”
Last weekend, 13 SANDF soldiers were killed and 27 wounded in the CAR during an attack by rebels.
Bozize came to power in 2003 when he toppled his predecessor, Ange-Felix Patasse, in a coup.
Meanwhile, a senior Ugandan officer claimed that South African troops are gathering in Uganda for a new mission in Central Africa Republic to “avenge” their fallen comrades, and topple the Seleka rebels, a report said yesterday.
The officer, who asked not to be named, told Reuters, “The intention of the South Africans is to re-organise themselves and then redeploy massively in CAR and topple these rebels. They were humiliated and they want to avenge.”
Spokespeople for the SANDF and defence ministry declined to comment, according to Reuters.
According to Eyewitness News, 200 South African soldiers had gathered at Kampala’s Entebbe air base with plans to hit back against the rebels.
The website said it was unclear if the group includes some of the soldiers evacuated from the CAR last week. — Sapa/ News24.
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