Durban - A top ANC Youth League official from KwaZulu-Natal has been accused of squandering international funds - donated to help disadvantaged children - to further her political career.
The funds from an Italian non-profit organisation were meant to buy a minibus to transport disadvantaged children to a Pietermaritzburg school.
The Pietermaritzburg-based woman, who is a senior member of the ANCYL, is expected to appear in the city’s magistrate’s court on Friday on charges of theft amounting to R40 000. The woman, who cannot be named until she has appeared in court, was summonsed late last week.
Her attorney, Sagie Bremiah, confirmed on Wednesday that they would be defending the charges.
“My client has instructed me to inform you that she did not steal any money,” Bremiah told the Daily News after being approached for comment.
“All the money that she has been accused of pocketing was used for various projects in the city. This includes building a unit for HIV positive children at the Northdale Hospital.”
The charges were opened by Dr Clara Tumino, a member of the NGO, Un Ponte Per La Vita, which means “A Bridge to Life”.
In an e-mail to the Daily News this week, Tumino said: “We work on a volunteer basis and what this woman did has destroyed part of our work with the local schools. She has stolen all the money we sent for children in need, to reach her own purpose.
She was running to get some position in the [ANC]. She used the children’s money for her candidacy.”
According to a source, in 2009 Un Ponte Per La Vita had been channelling cash donations to a priest at a Pietermaritzburg-based church to care for disadvantaged children at a local primary school.
At the time, the ANCYL official was serving on the school’s governing body.
The source said that in 2009 the organisation opened a computer and homework centre for the pupils at a shopping centre near the school. The Italian representatives met the woman at the opening of the centre.
When they visited again at the end of 2009
, the delegation noted that there were fewer children at the centre than contained on the list they had been sent by the woman.
She told them the children did not have transport to get to the learning centre. It has been alleged she spent the R40 000 cheque they gave her to buy a minibus for the children. However, Bremiah said the NGO was on a witch hunt.
“NGOs have to account to their donors as to how they spend the money. In my client’s view, they could have misappropriated their funds and are now pointing fingers at her.”
Bremiah said they would be calling for all the donors’ details and bank records.
Daily News