Linda Mti

Last updated

Linda Mti
National Commissioner of Correctional Services
In office
1 September 2001 –30 November 2006
Preceded byLulamile Mbete
Succeeded byVernie Petersen
Personal details
Born
Linda Morris Mti

1954 (1954)
Port Elizabeth, Cape Province
Union of South Africa
Political party African National Congress
Other political
affiliations		 Umkhonto we Sizwe
NicknameRichman

Linda Morris Mti (born 1954) is a retired South African politician and civil servant who is best known for his tenure as National Commissioner of Correctional Services from 2001 to 2006. He currently faces charges of corruption, fraud, and money laundering in connection with contracts illegally awarded to Bosasa during his tenure as commissioner.

Contents

Mti was a senior member of Umkhonto we Sizwe during apartheid and he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 until 1996, when he was appointed as chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee. He also served on the ANC's National Executive Committee from 1994 to 1997 and is a former Provincial Chairperson of the ANC in the Eastern Cape. After leaving the Department of Correctional Services in late 2006, he served as local head of security for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Early life and activism

Mti was born in 1954 in Port Elizabeth in the former Cape Province. [1] He attended the University of Fort Hare [1] and in 1976 began his working life as a laboratory technician in the Cape. He was also active in anti-apartheid politics through the Black Consciousness movement. [2] In 1977, in the aftermath of the Soweto uprising, he was one of many Black Consciousness activists detained by the Security Branch of the police; upon his release, he went into exile in Lesotho, where he joined the African National Congress (ANC). [2]

Until 1985, Mti was stationed with the ANC's operation in Lesotho, where he was a senior member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe command and Regional Politico-Military Council under Chris Hani and Lambert Moloi. From 1985 to 1990, he was a member of the Regional Politico-Military Council in Zimbabwe. [3] He is still known in ANC circles by his nom de guerre , "Richman". [4]

Mti returned to South Africa after the ANC was unbanned by the apartheid government in 1990, and in the early 1990s he served as chairperson of the ANC's branch in the region that became the Eastern Cape. [5] [6] [7]

Parliament: 1994–1996

In South Africa's first post-apartheid election in 1994, Mti was elected to represent the ANC in the National Assembly, the lower house of the new South African Parliament. [8] He chaired Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security. [1] [6] In addition, in December 1994, the ANC's 49th National Conference elected him to a three-year term on the party's National Executive Committee. [9]

Civil service: 1996–2017

National Intelligence Coordinator: 1996–2001

In late 1996, Mti was appointed to succeed Moe Shaik as chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee. [10] The committee was responsible for coordinating the activities of all government agencies with intelligence-gathering functions. [6]

Correctional Services Commissioner: 2001–2006

In August 2001, President Thabo Mbeki appointed Mti as National Commissioner of Correctional Services. [11] In July 2004, the Cabinet approved a three-year extension of his contract. [12] In the same month, the Department of Correctional Services, under Mti's leadership, privatised the provision of nutrition services in its prisons, appointing Gavin Watson's Bosasa Operations as a contractor; over the next two years, a number of other large department contracts, cumulatively worth R1.8 billion, [13] were signed with Bosasa. [6]

On 31 March 2006, the Beeld and its sister paper, Die Burger , published front-page stories linking Mti to Bosasa by way of a private company called Lianorah Investment Consultancy (named after Mti's mother), which Mti had registered through Bosasa's company secretary, Tony Perry. [6] Mti denied all allegations of improper conduct or inappropriate ties to Bosasa, but the story led to months of sustained pressure on him, invoking the consternation of Parliament and triggering an investigation by the Public Service Commission. [14] [15] In addition, on 7 November 2006, the South African Police Service reported that Mti had been arrested for drunk driving (see below). [15]

On 9 November, the department announced that Mti had resigned at the beginning of the month and would leave public service at the end of the month. [15] In a statement, it commended him "for the critical role he has played in the transformation of the department from the quagmire of its apartheid legacy to its current status as a leading player in offender corrections and rehabilitation". [16] Investigations into Mti's role in irregularities in the Bosasa contracts continued for over a decade after his resignation (see below).

FIFA World Cup security: 2006–2010

The Department of Correctional Services had announced that Mti was leaving the commissioner's office in order to accept a position as local head of security for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa was hosting. [16] The local organising committee initially denied this, saying that he was only under consideration for the role; [14] he was, in any case, ultimately appointed. [1] The Mail & Guardian said that he "kept a low profile" while in the position. [5]

Nelson Mandela Bay security: 2016–2017

In April 2016, the council of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality appointed Mti as head of the city's department of safety and security. The Democratic Alliance (DA) reportedly opposed his appointment, on the grounds that he was still under investigation in connection with alleged fraud at the Department of Correctional Services. [17] In addition, he was appointed on the recommendation of Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Danny Jordaan, but Jordaan was succeeded in August by Athol Trollip, who publicly expressed concern that Mti's appointment had been irregular. [18] In December 2016, the council announced that Mti would take early retirement in May 2017. [18]

Drunk driving charges

Mti has been arrested for drunken driving at least three times, twice during his tenure as Correctional Services Commissioner, and was convicted twice. In 1992, while he was ANC chair in the Eastern Cape, he was convicted in Port Elizabeth of drunk driving and reckless or negligent driving; he paid a R400 fine in lieu of serving two months' imprisonment. [5] He was arrested again in February 2005, outside Port Elizabeth's Boardwalk Casino, after a late-night accident with another vehicle, and again in early November 2006 after an accident in rush-hour traffic in Sandringham, Johannesburg. [5]

In respect of the November 2006 incident, Mti was acquitted of drunk driving and reckless or negligent driving in the Hillbrow Magistrate's Court in June 2008. The state failed to subpoena its main witness (the driver of the other car) or otherwise to prove its case. [19] Irregularities in the prosecutorial procedure led the magistrate to castigate the prosecutors' "incompetent and unprofessional conduct" and led the Mail & Guardian to wonder whether the trial had been "cooked" in Mti's favour; [20] the prosecutors involved were ultimately served written warnings by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). [5]

Mti's trial on the February 2005 charge was postponed for some time after the charge was initially withdrawn by prosecutors, [5] and it was not concluded until October 2009, when Mti entered into a plea bargain with the NPA. He pled guilty to drunk driving – having been almost three times over the legal blood alcohol limit – and paid a R20,000 fine in lieu of two months' imprisonment. He was also served a mandatory six-month prison sentence, suspended conditionally for five years, and his driving license was confiscated for six months. [21]

Corruption charges

After Mti resigned from the Department of Correctional Services in November 2006, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) launched an investigation into the department's contracts with Bosasa. [22] The report of the SIU investigation was finalised in late 2009 and was referred to the NPA for decision on possible prosecutions, but it was not released publicly. [21] In the interim, the Mail & Guardian published a series of further exposés about Mti's relationship with Bosasa, leading Bosasa to complain that it was subjected to "trial by press". [23] Among other things, leaked travel records apparently showed that Bosasa had provided Mti with substantial benefits, including luxury hotel stays and family travel, while he was serving as Correctional Services Commissioner. [24] In March 2011, the SIU's report was leaked to City Press , which reported that the investigation had uncovered evidence of an "improper and corrupt relationship" between Mti (and other officials) and Bosasa; among the specific allegations was the claim that Bosasa had paid for Mti's house. [25]

In February 2019, Mti submitted to arrest and appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, alongside others, on charges emanating from the Bosasa contracts. He was granted R20,000 bail. [26] Before the case was heard in court, in March 2022, the Zondo Commission on state capture published its report on government contracts with Bosasa. The commission noted that there were already pending charges against Mti, but the report nonetheless formally recommended that law enforcement agencies should investigate and prosecute Mti for his involvement in the Bosasa contracts. [27] According to the commission, there was strong evidence to suggest that the department's former chief financial officer, Patrick Gillingham, had facilitated the unlawful award of contracts to Bosasa, and that Mti himself had been complicit. The report said:

[Mti's] complicity included providing Gillingham with protection from investigation, discipline and prosecution, at the highest level with the department. Mti facilitated the unlawful awarding of tenders in breach of the Constitution and legislation in order to benefit himself, his family, Bosasa, its associates and the Watson family. [27]

In the criminal case, pre-trial proceedings resumed in the Gauteng High Court in May 2022, but Mti successfully applied for a postponement. [28] Mti is accused alongside Gillingham, another former department executive, and former Bosasa executive Angelo Agrizzi. [28] In the final docket, Mti is charged with one count of corruption, four counts of fraud, five counts of money laundering, and five contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act. [13] The charges arise from four contracts, worth over R1.8 billion, awarded to Bosasa and its subsidiaries from 2004 to 2007. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Manuel</span> South African politician

Trevor Andrew Manuel is a retired South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who served in the cabinet of South Africa between 1994 and 2014. He was the Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2009 under three successive presidents. He was also the first post-apartheid Minister of Trade and Industry from 1994 to 1996 and later the Minister in the Presidency for the National Planning Commission from 2009 to 2014. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 2012.

Schabir Shaik is a South African businessman from Berea, Durban, who rose to prominence due to his close association with former South African President Jacob Zuma during Zuma's time as Deputy President. On 2 June 2005, he was found guilty of corruption and fraud, which also led to Zuma's dismissal by then President Thabo Mbeki.

Nkosinathi Phiwayinkosi Thamsanqa Nhleko is a South African politician and former trade unionist from KwaZulu-Natal. He was the Minister of Police and Minister of Public Works in the second cabinet of President Jacob Zuma. After he was sacked from the cabinet in 2018, he served as a backbencher in the National Assembly until the 2019 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baleka Mbete</span> South African politician (born 1949)

Baleka Mbete is a South African politician who was the Deputy President of South Africa from September 2008 to May 2009. She was also the Speaker of the National Assembly for two non-consecutive terms from 2004 to 2008 and from 2014 to 2019. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), she was first elected to the National Assembly in 1994 and stepped down from her seat in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi</span> South African politician (born 1960)

Geraldine Joslyn Fraser-Moleketi is a South African politician who was the Minister of Public Service and Administration from June 1999 to September 2008. Before that, from July 1996 to June 1999, she was Minister of Welfare and Population Development. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2008 and is a former deputy chairperson of the South African Communist Party (SACP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula</span> South African politician

Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula is a South African politician who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from August 2021 until her resignation on 3 April 2024. She was a cabinet minister from 2004 to 2021, including as Minister of Defence and Military Veterans between June 2012 and August 2021. She was an elected member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC) between 2002 and 2022 and is a former president of the ANC Women's League.

Tony Sithembiso Yengeni is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist. He represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from May 1994 to March 2003, including as Chief Whip of the Majority Party from November 1998 to October 2001. He was a member of the ANC National Executive Committee between 1994 and 2022, though he resigned from legislative politics after he was convicted of fraud in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwede Mantashe</span> South African Politician

Samson Gwede Mantashe is a South African politician and former trade unionist who is currently serving as the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. He was Minister of Mineral Resources from February 2018 to May 2019, when his current portfolio was created. He is also serving his second term as the national chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC).

Carl Niehaus is the former spokesman for South African ruling party the African National Congress, former spokesman for Nelson Mandela, and was a political prisoner after being convicted of treason against South Africa's former government. He stepped down as ANC spokesman in February 2009 after admitting to maladministration of his own finances, extensive borrowing from political contacts and fraud, notably feigning the death of his mother, Magrietha Niehaus‚ in order to get out of 4.3 million rand debt owed to a landlord. He is a vocal supporter of former President Jacob Zuma. On 12th December 2022 Niehaus was expelled from the ANC. In 2023 he set up his own party - the African Radical Economic Transformation Alliance - and then abandoned it to join the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at the end of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nomvula Mokonyane</span> South African politician

Nomvula Paula Mokonyane is a South African politician who is currently the First Deputy Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC). She was the first female Premier of Gauteng from 2009 to 2014 and subsequently served in the national government as Minister of Water and Sanitation from 2014 to 2018, Minister of Communications in 2018, and Minister of Environmental Affairs from 2018 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayanda Dlodlo</span> South African politician

Ayanda Dlodlo is a South African politician and former cabinet minister. A former member of Umkhonto we Sizwe, she became a Member of Parliament for the African National Congress (ANC) in 2009. Thereafter, she was appointed Minister of Communications (2017), Minister of Home Affairs (2017–2018), Minister of Public Service and Administration, and Minister of State Security (2019–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Phaahla</span> South African politician

Mathume Joseph Phaahla is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Health since August 2021. He was formerly the Deputy Minister of Health from May 2014 to August 2021. He had been a deputy minister since May 2009, when he joined the National Assembly. He is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).

Bosasa was a South African company specialising in providing services to government, most notably correctional services. It consisted of Bosasa Group, Bosasa Youth Development Centres, and African Global Operations. The company was liquidated in 2019 after whistleblower Angelo Agrizzi revealed the malfeasance in prolonged scandal about its allegedly corrupt relationship with members of the governing African National Congress (ANC), aired during the Zondo Commission of Inquiry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zondo Commission</span> 2018 South African corruption investigation

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, better known as the Zondo Commission or State Capture Commission, is a public inquiry established in January 2018 by former President Jacob Zuma to investigate allegations of state capture, corruption, and fraud in the public sector in South Africa.

Gavin Joseph Watson was a South African businessman who served as Chief Executive Officer of African Global Operations, previously known as Bosasa, from 2000 until his death in 2019. His company was implicated in state capture during judicial hearings in January 2019.

Ndleleni Moses Duma was a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the North West Provincial Legislature until his death in 2018. He also served in the National Assembly between 2009 and 2014. He was a Member of the North West Executive Council from 2004 to 2009 during the premiership of Edna Molewa; during the same period, he was convicted on theft charges in connection with his involvement in the Travelgate scandal during an earlier period of service in the national Parliament.

Dennis Victor Bloem is a South African politician who served as the national spokesperson of the Congress of the People (COPE) until his resignation in August 2023. He represented COPE in the National Council of Provinces from 2009 to 2014 and before that he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in Parliament from 1994 to 2009. A former United Democratic Front activist in the Free State, Bloem defected from the ANC to COPE ahead of the 2009 general election.

Vincent George Smith is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2019. In 2020, he was indicted on fraud and corruption charges emanating from his tenure as chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services from 2009 to 2014. He is accused of having accepted bribes from Bosasa, a major contractor of the Department of Correctional Services.

Nozuko Temperance "Girly" Majola-Pikoli (née Majola) is a South African civil servant, businesswoman, and politician. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly from 1994 until 1996, when she joined the civil service.

Magashe Titus Mafolo is a South African politician, political strategist, businessman, and intellectual who was the chief political adviser to President Thabo Mbeki. Before that, he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly during the first democratic Parliament.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Meet 2010's organising committee". Brand South Africa. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Janet; Tromp, Beauregard (2023). Hani: A Life too Short. Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN   978-1-77619-276-2.
  3. ↑ African National Congress (1996). Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (PDF). Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Gevisser, Mark (11 July 2019). "'State capture': the corruption investigation that has shaken South Africa". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "'Keep 'em coming, barman'". The Mail & Guardian. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Basson, Adriaan (27 October 2019). "Blessed by Bosasa: Inside Gavin Watson's State Capture cult". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "ANC confident after 18 months in power". Republican News. 30 November 1995. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "Minutes of proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly" (PDF). Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 24 May 1994. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "49th National Conference: National Executive Committee as elected at Conference". African National Congress. 20 December 1994. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Intelligence chief set to take on a new role". The Mail & Guardian. 23 August 1996. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "New prisons boss announced". News24. 9 August 2001. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Sentech gets new COO". News24. 22 July 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Fraud, corruption case against Linda Mti, Patrick Gillingham postponed". Pretoria News. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Mti 'hasn't got 2010 job'". News24. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 "Prisons director general quits". The Mail & Guardian. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Correctional Services commends L Mti". South African Government. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Controversial former prisons boss to lead PE metro cops". Sunday Times. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  18. 1 2 Koyana, Xolani (30 December 2016). "Linda Mti steps down from Mandela Bay municipality". EWN. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  19. ↑ "Mti's drunken-driving case thrown out of court". The Mail & Guardian. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Was Mti's case cooked?". The Mail & Guardian. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Drunk-driving Mti forced to take back seat". The Mail & Guardian. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  22. ↑ "David takes on Goliath". The Mail & Guardian. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "Prisons graft: Bosasa's empire of influence". The Mail & Guardian. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  24. ↑ "Linda Mti's Bosasa bonanza". The Mail & Guardian. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  25. ↑ Basson, Adriaan (20 March 2011). "Report: Prison boss was bribed". News24. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  26. ↑ Chabalala, Jeanette (7 February 2019). "Ex-correctional services boss Linda Mti out on R20 000 bail". News24. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  27. 1 2 Fengu, Msindis (2 March 2022). "Zondo report: Agrizzi wants action against Mti, pleads for protection of whistleblowers". City Press. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  28. 1 2 3 "Bosasa R1.8bn fraud case postponed for several accused to 'sort out financial situation'". News24. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.