The rich Mpumalanga man vehemently denies funding Zanu-PF’s election, worse buying them trucks and now threatens to take legal action against those who say so.
There is a company called ‘MBE Promotions’ that was involved in the Zanu-PF’s election campaign.
This is not the first time this company is involved in the whole political campaigning process – it first got involved in 2016 when IT billionaire Robert Gumede bought 12 bakkies for the Mpumalanga ANC.
But long before the 2016 Local Government Elections Mashile’s company had already branded some of the ANC’s campaign vehicles as well being awarded tenders for the supply of customised trucks to provincial government departments.
The company is owned by ANC deputy president DD Mabuza’s closest ally, Nathaniel Mashile, who leads the ANC in the eHlanzeni region of Mpumalanga as deputy secretary and whose company’s stake in the whole Zimbabwe political campaigning process has been to brand and fit the bakkies and stage trucks with public announcement systems.
Mabuza is Gumede’s long time friend and it’s likely that the involvement of Mashile, who has good relations with Gumede through Mabuza was there because Gumede was sponsoring the Zanu-PF election campaign.
Mashile’s company started branding the vehicles in March 2018 – less than two months after Gumede met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, publicly pledging to invest R15 billion into the Zimbabwean economy.
In the January 2018 meeting, which followed a month after the ousting of dictator Robert Mugabe who had ruled that country for close to 40 years, Gumede told Mnangagwa “to not keep quiet whenever he needs anything”, sources close to MBE Promotions told 013NEWS.
Once Mashile was done branding the vehicles in Zanu-PF colours, they were then handed over to Mnangagwa and a video showing both Gumede and the Zim leader dancing to a song by Zimbabwean popular singer Jah Prayzah being played from a brand new truck has surfaced.
In the video, Mashile is seen coming from the donated truck’s music system on its stage – apparently showing the two men that MBE Promotions had successfully done the job.
Gumede has vehemently denied ever funding Zanu-PF ahead of 30 July 2018’s general elections that saw Mnangagwa winning with 50.8% against MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s 44.3%.
Gumede said reports by the Sunday Times over the weekend that he donated millions to Mnangagwa’s ruling party which were then used to buy about 100 bakkies and two stage trucks were “fake news” and threatened he would take legal actions to defend his image because the article portrays him as a “state capturer” and creates political divisions in Zimbabwe.
“I deny the allegations and I intend taking legal action to defend my reputation and to ultimately expose personal agendas and ulterior motives,” he said.
Gumede said being the “international businessman” he is, he had done business in Zimbabwe for more than 10 years “and I have not donated any money towards any election campaigns,” adding there would have been records of it because “any funds leaving South Africa require Reserve Bank clearance”.
“There is nothing untoward nor suspicious about my engagements with President Mnangagwa given that I have committed to investing in the country. I love Zimbabwe for the role it played in bringing democracy to South Africa during the struggle led by the ANC,” said Gumede.
(edited by MLM)
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