CAPE TOWN – The chairperson of the Sekunjalo Group, Dr Iqbal Survé, has publicly dismissed reports that he has been using AYO Technology Services as his personal piggy bank during a live interview on SABC news channel SAfm.
Survé was interviewed live on SAfm talk show "The Talking Point" hosted by Bongi Gwala where he was grilled on the reported allegations.
Gwala put the allegations to Survé according to The Sunday Times reports, that he colluded with some AYO Technologies board members to secure an investment from the Public Investment Corporation, which eventually led to the PIC making a R4.3 billion investment in the IT Company.
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW:
AYO deal, Matjila link and the leaked recording:
Gwala:
So you say what happens at the PIC is their business as they are an independent entity … but the PIC decision had something to do with you Dr Survé because of your close proximity with the then chief executive Dr Dan Matjila … and we are told that he used his powers to instruct those below him to make this deal possible for AYO. We hear of leaked recordings of AYO board members talking about how to mislead PIC … so what happens at the PIC will have everything to do with you.
Survé:
Bongi you are contradicting yourself … On the one hand, you are talking about a close relationship allegedly between myself and Dr Matjila and on the other hand, you are talking about a recording made to mislead the PIC. If, as you say, I had a close relationship with Dr Dan Matjila why would I need to mislead the PIC? … I mean that is rubbish so let's deal with the recordings…
The Sunday Times refers to a recording previously by these two former executives, by the way, that had tried to shake down AYO for an exit payment … it didn't work. This was an informal meeting, what happened Mr Hardy … and by the way listen to the recording Bongi … there is nothing in that recording that suggests we wanted to mislead the PIC.
After asking further probing questions, Gwala had just enough time to take one caller who asked questions that were unrelated to the subject at hand but based on other reports. Survé dismissed them as racist. He then welcomed a chance to have an open a public conversation with Amabhungane partner and managing director Sam Sole.
Survé ended by challenging Sole to tell the country at large if he did, or did not work for the apartheid era intelligence service, to which Gwala responded: "We will give you an opportunity to ask him …"