Manyatshe demands justice

Johannesburg, 21 May 2008

Former MTN MD Maanda Manyatshe is widely distributing evidence which he says shows the SA Post Office (SAPO) knew he was innocent of any fraudulent activity while head of that organisation.

It was these allegations of wrongdoing that led to Manyatshe's early exit from his role as MD of MTN SA.

Manyatshe says he has gone public with the evidence to force the state-owned entity to come clean on its errors and clear his name.

"I have had this evidence for a while, but I had hoped the new SAPO board would act honourably and restore the dignity of myself and the other people involved. However, it is evident that this is not going to be case, so I have to force their hand," he explains.

'SAPO lied'

The documents - which include minutes of board meetings, letters and reports - reveal the board established early on that there was no evidence to back the accusations of fraudulent activity by then-SAPO CEO Khutso Mampeule in an article published in September 2006 in the Mail & Guardian.

This includes statements by SAPO's legal advisor, Adilla Samsodien, in a June board meeting that it was "factually inaccurate that Manyatshe... knew, approved and supported the payment of these amounts in excess of R500 million".

"First of all, Mr Manyatshe never authorised any payments and none of the payments were in excess of R5 million," she explains.

Despite this and other revelations of Manyatshe's innocence, SAPO has yet to publicly confirm that it has cleared Manyatshe of any wrongdoing.

SAPO and its board have continued to misrepresent the facts, points out Manyatshe.

"SAPO chairman Vuyo Mahlati told Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Communications that they were in discussions with me and that I had come off my original high amounts. This is blatantly untrue. I approached the Post Office, offering them a settlement in return for them coming out to clear my name in public. They never bothered to respond. In fact, I have yet to hear anything from SAPO or its board."

MTN still loved

As for ex-employer MTN, Manyatshe says he cannot blame the company for letting him go and he continues to be a subscriber to its services.

"It was regrettable that they didn't stand by me, but I understand their position. As a listed company, MTN is scrutinised closely and to have the head of one of its companies accused of fraud would have been incredibly problematic for its board. I could have stood my ground and insisted to stay, but it would have made the environment very difficult and tense," he explains.

For now, Manyatshe's focus remains purely on addressing his problems with the Post Office.

"The biggest thing I need to do is clear my name so that I can start my own life again. After that, I'll make my own name and place in the market. I truly believe that, before long, my skills will be needed again. This market, in particular, needs leaders who can manage in tough times rather than good times. My time will come," he says.

ITWeb had not received a comment from SAPO by the time of publication.