Rasool rejects ANC Kebble donation inquiry

Premier Ebrahim Rasool says he will not support the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry into donations received by the ANC from slain mining magnate Brett Kebble.

Responding to questions from the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape legislature on Tuesday, Rasool said the province had never given any gifts or favours to Kebble.

However, the ANC had never denied receiving money from Kebble, he said.

It emerged at the weekend that forensic auditors found that Kebble had given R25-million to the ANC, including a R5,7-million donation to the party in the Western Cape.

Robin Carlisle of the DA asked whether the ANC in the Western Cape intended to return the money.

Rasool told Carlisle he should request a discussion with the ANC to discuss the extent and legality or otherwise of any donation.

"I think it's better to deal with it party to party," he said.

"I certainly would not want to pronounce on whether the money will be returned," he said.

"That will be determined by the legitimacy of the donations. I think our secretary-general has been very clear that an organisation like the ANC receives donations on any given day."

He suggested that Carlisle write to ANC provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha and request a discussion on the matter.

Rasool rejected accusations that the Kebble donations were similar in nature to those given by fugitive German fraudster Jurgen Harksen to the DA.

He said the difference was that the ANC had not transgressed the line between government and party.

DA provincial leader Theuns Botha said then-premier Gerald Morkel had given a similar answer in the Harksen affair, but despite this the Desai commission of inquiry had been established.

Rasool said the Desai commission had not been established primarily as a result of the Harksen allegations, but because of actions within the administration by the then director-general of the province that had needed to be investigated.

"It is not correct that the Desai commission was because of Harksen. Secondly, I think there is nothing in government that will justify a judicial commission of inquiry into the Brett Kebble case because that is a matter that is in other ways in the legal system - in ways that the Harksen case was not in the legal system.

"The legal system is taking care of the Kebble issues."

By Philda Essop, phildae@incape.co.za