Investment company Sekunjalo has hit out at DA MP and fisheries spokesman Pieter van Dalen, accusing him of telling lies and making defamatory statements in the controversy over the management of South Africa’s fisheries research and patrol fleet.
But an unrepentant Van Dalen denies the charges and believes all his comments and claims will be vindicated when a report on an investigation into this issue by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela – that he requested – is released.
Public protector spokesman Oupa Segalwe told the Cape Argus that the investigation was at an advanced stage.
We are targeting mid-May for a provisional report, he said.
Sekunjalo withdrew its bid for the long-term fisheries fleet management contract in the face of a high court challenge in February last year by the former contract holder, Smit Amandla Marine.
It was incensed when Van Dalen last week issued a statement in which he said a company, Nautic South Africa, that had been given a six-month emergency contract to manage the fleet during its refurbishment, had links to Sekunjalo. This was subsequently denied by Nautic.
Sekunjalo said in its own statement that it had no association with Nautic and had no knowledge of the emergency contract.
Sekunjalo is astonished that Mr Van Dalen uses parliamentary privilege to make this highly defamatory statement about Sekunjalo’s link which has got no basis in facts. Sekunjalo urgently calls on Mr Van Dalen to retract his statement and issue a public apology to Sekunjalo.
The company, which was simply tired of having to continuously to deal with Van Dalen’s statements, said it would:
* Write to DA leader Helen Zille asking her to investigate Van Dalen for his wild and defamatory statements.
* Ask Parliament’s ethics committee to investigate Van Dalen for repeatedly making defamatory statements about the company and investigate the reasons why (he) keeps on doing this.
* Ask Madonsela to investigate Van Dalen and the reasons for him peddling such lies and making defamatory statements and the links between the DA, Mr Van Dalen and Smit Amandla Marine since Mr Van Dalen is acting as the spokesman for Smith Amandla Marine.
* Refer Van Dalen’s statement to its legal advisers for them to pursue the necessary avenue of action.
Asked to respond, Van Dalen said: I’m not apologising. I have all the documents, I check on my facts. I’m doing my work. If people report things to me, I report it to the authorities – that’s my constitutional duty.
He said he didn’t know Smit Amandla or its officials from a bar of soap.
There were inappropriate things in the awarding of this contract (to Sekunjalo, then withdrawn) and I’ll fight this to the end.
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