White Spiritual Boy Trust. The name alone should have set the alarm bells off for Tokyo Sexwale.
I am, of course, referring to the trust which the multimillionaire businessman says deposited a vast sum of money with the SA Reserve Bank meant to fund free education and alleviate poverty in SA. Sexwale says these billions disappeared without trace, possibly pilfered by ANC bigwigs. When he was interviewed by TV host JJ Tabane early this week, the nation gasped in shock at the revelation: "We knew it! We knew it!"
But as the week progressed and shock gave way to reasoned thought, the story began to change. We were relieved when the Bank and the National Treasury issued a statement assuring us that no such funds had been received, and that Sexwale might have fallen for an online scam. But being the stubborn person he is, Sexwale did not back down. He called a press conference to give details of his allegations.
Shock turned to hilarity as we listened to a man once touted as a presidential hopeful make a complete clown of himself. It’s a long, convoluted story but what it effectively says is that money equal to 200 times our GDP was deposited with the Bank. Then it was stolen. Take a deep breath and think about it: 200 times our GDP. That’s almost a third of US GDP. And there are people who are inclined to believe this.
Did Sexwale truly fall for this scam or is there another agenda at play? What is he trying to achieve? Isn’t this an instance of sedition, inciting emotions that might lead to violence from those who already have a deep-seated resentment against the current regime and will use this "revelation" as an excuse to attack?
Let’s take a short walk down memory lane. On April 24, 2001 Steve Tshwete, then minister of safety security, told a stunned nation on prime-time TV that three leading members of the ANC were plotting to harm President Thabo Mbeki. The announcement that the three, Cyril Ramaphosa, Sexwale and Mathews Phosa, all prominent businessmen, were under investigation was front-page news and the story was picked up by the international media. The three came out and pledged their allegiance to Mbeki. Then the investigation into the plot fizzled away. It’s interesting that Sexwale’s allegations against Ramaphosa’s government come 20 years later, almost to the day.
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Shocked by the implications of this saga, I suddenly felt very hungry, emotionally and physically. With no definite plan, I drove out to Melrose Arch, a neighbourhood I hadn’t visited in about seven years. Once inside the complex, I started walking about casing out restaurants. The humorous signage and name, Mr George, and the vibrant atmosphere outside this establishment pulled me to its door. I had no idea what kind of cuisine it specialised in. After Sexwale’s tale, I was ready for anything.
It’s more of an upmarket café, American style, than a cosy restaurant. The menu includes steak, sushi and puddings. The atmosphere is infectious, with good pop music and people with children, who were clearly at home.
The sea bass with steamed vegetables was impressive, but so was the price (R220). I enjoy experimenting with wines, but I regretted the glass of a red blend called Waterford Pecan Stream Pebble Hill (R75). Urgh.
All round, it was a pleasant outing, most welcome after Sexwale’s lunacy.
Mr George *****
The High St, Melrose, Johannesburg
Tel: 011-684-2999
Tito Mboweni *****
Raymond Zondo ****
Busisiwe Mkhwebane ***
Tokyo Sexwale **
Ace Magashule *
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