NIEHAUS SCANDAL RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER ANC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 000356 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2019 TAGS: KJUS PGOV SF SUBJECT: NIEHAUS SCANDAL RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER ANC HAS LOST MORAL AUTHORITY PRETORIA 00000356 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Political Counselor Raymond L. Brown for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Carl Niehaus, former spokesperson for the African National Congress (ANC),resigned this week after newspapers reported that he grossly mismanaged his personal finances and abused his office and authority in recent years. His longstanding financial difficulties and his abrupt resignation have raised questions about the culture of corruption within the ANC. Niehaus, who was well-connected to many senior members of the ruling party, reportedly is facing eviction from his rented home for failure to make payments, owes creditors millions of dollars, and failed to pay for business trips financed by private companies. Moreover, the press reported that Niehaus forged signatures of high government officials while serving on a Gauteng development agency, borrowed thousands of dollars from senior ANC officials such as Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa, and asked to be connected to deceased businessman Brett Kebble "because he was desperate for financial help." Niehaus admitted that all of the press reports are true. Although the questions surrounding Niehaus' problems are not on the same scale as the arms deal scandal, "Travelgate," or even "Muldergate," they do raise a question whether the ANC (which was aware of his transgressions) can claim any moral authority for fighting corruption heading into the election. End Summary. -------------- Media Exposes Niehaus Problems -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The press has been consumed by the fall of ANC spokesperson Carl Niehaus for the past two weeks. Niehaus, appointed by ANC President Jacob Zuma in November 2008, has been shown to have grossly mismanaged his finances. Among the charges laid against Niehaus are that he owes creditors millions of dollars, forged signatures while serving on a Gauteng development agency, borrowed thousands of dollars from senior ANC officials such as Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa, and asked to be connected to deceased businessman Brett Kebble. He subsequently admitted the allegations are true, resigned his position within the ANC, and blamed the problem on the "legacy of apartheid." Niehaus broke down in tears on Talk Radio 702 on February 13 and admitted that he has a problem with money and that he has lived above his means. He also noted that his "personal situation" was a result of his "time spent in prison for his principled opposition to apartheid." He is reportedly seeking professional help (i.e., debt counseling at the ANC's direction) and obtaining assistance from a rich ANC backer to settle his debts. The ANC noted that it initially stood by Niehaus, but then accepted his resignation. ANC spokesperson Jesse Duarte told reporters that the party originally wished to redeploy him until it found out that he had "withheld" information about his financial dealings. The ANC said, "Carl did declare some parts but he did not declare everything. He withheld information from the ANC." -------------- What Niehaus' Problems Mean -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The immediate fallout from the reports of Niehaus' financial difficulties is that there is a growing sense among segments of the populace that the ANC is generally a corrupt Qsegments of the populace that the ANC is generally a corrupt organization and has lost its moral authority to lead. ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told reporters that the ANC has not lost its moral authority to lead, but many claim Niehaus' connections and problems will cloud the ANC for years to come. Some political analysts such as Bennitto Motitsoe say the fact that Mantashe has to address the question of moral authority shows that the ANC has lost it. (Note: Pundits say the ANC's decision to "exploit" 90-year old Nelson Mandela by encouraging him to appear at a remote, Eastern Cape rally with Zuma shows that the ANC is more concerned about portraying moral authority to the public and less concerned about the health and well-being of the former leader. Mandela repeatedly said he did not want to get involved in politicing ahead of the election and some suggest he was forced to appear against his will despite his frail PRETORIA 00000356 002.2 OF 002 condition or the ANC made him feel guilty for not displaying his loyalty as an ANC member. End Note.) Niehaus' financial mismanagement shows he was well-connected to senior ANC officials such as Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa, known to be among the party's wealthiest members and obtained funds ostensibly for ANC purposes. His business relationship with deceased businessman Brett Kebble also raises questions because money from the mining magnate helped propel the ANC Youth League into prominence and to bring Zuma into power. Moreover, Niehaus served under former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa (now a Deputy President of the new Congress of the People) and it was while employed by the Gauteng development agency that Niehaus confessed he forged Shilowa's and other signatures to his personal benefit. ¶4. (C) According to some reports, the most damning allegation surrounding Niehaus is that the ANC was aware of the forged signatures in Gauteng province before appointing him to his position as national spokesperson. Additionally, press reports this week revealed that Zuma personally appointed Neihaus to the position over objections of some within the party. University of South Africa political scientist Dirk Kotze told Poloff on February 20 that "what the ANC suffers from ... is the fact that because Zuma is the party's leader, they have lost the moral authority to talk about corruption." He said that because Zuma faces his own corruption charges, the ANC cannot talk candidly about what Niehaus did without reminding voters of Zuma's own past. For its part, the ANC has admitted that Niehaus' financial situation has done damage to the party. The ANC said, "We cannot deny the fact that it has had some damage but the bottom line is it's about what we do about it once we know about it." -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) The Niehaus scandal came at a bad time for the ANC because it adds to the fears among many in the public that the party has lost its moral authority under Zuma. The scandle more than likely confirms what many South Africans already assumed: that the ruling party is rife with corruption and seeks to protect its own when they are faced with the law. ANC Campaign slogans indiate that their number one priority is corruption. However, the perception of the ANC as a party that harbors a culture of corruption that protects ANC transgessors from legal consequences has already become a campaign issue for the April 2009 elections. Until Zuma has his day in court many here will assume the ruling party has little room to speak on issues of corruption. LA LIME