CAPE TOWN - Business Leadership South Africa CEO Bonang Mohale, speaking at a launch event in Cape Town, reportedly called President Jacob Zuma a 'thief' and said two more companies will be suspended.
In breaking news Business Report can confirm that the BLSA has removed Eskom and Transnet from their organisation for their alleged involvement in corruption and state capture.
This will happen with immediate effect.
These suspensions follows KPMG SA's suspension for the role in assisting state capture and the controversy around SARS in the "rogue unit" report.
At a launch entitled #BusinessBelieves campaign in Cape Town, the BLSA signed a “contract” with South Africa, pledging to do even more to create jobs and grow and transform the economy.
In what was seen as an alleged or reported attack on state looters the Guptas and the Zumas, Mohale said BLSA wants to make sure the "snake's head is chopped off".
He said government's organs of accountability have been captured and apparently Zuma is doing everything to stay out of prison.
Mohale said corruption and state capture are the cancers that are eating away at South Africa. "They must be rooted out, crushed and punished where we find them in the public or private sector. This is our contract with South Africa."
BLSA has taken a strong position on KPMG which engaged in allegedly unethical and unprofessional conduct completely at odds with the values of the organisation, according to Mohale.
“The firm became party to the project of state capture, which has harmed our country, victimised individuals and damaged the reputation of business.”
Mohale said KPMG should have raised concerns when it was paid R23m to produce a report for the SARS, but it looked the other way.
Mohale said BLSA asked KPMG to “come clean”, but when it was not convinced that the auditing firm was genuine it decided to suspend its membership from BLSA.
That is why we have called for an independent investigation and full disclosure on the part of KPMG.”
He also said an estimated R100bn has been transferred over the past decade to the benefit of two families in South Africa – the Guptas and the Zumas.
“Too often Government contracts and jobs go to the connected rather than the deserving. That is why we supported the Cosatu protests yesterday and reiterate our call for the urgent implementation of the Public Protector's recommendation of a judicial investigation into state capture.” Without naming them, he also said two more companies will be suspended from BLSA, similarly to KPMG’s recent membership suspension.