Thursday, 6 October, 2011

A cleric who has allegedly been pocketing millions of rands in government education subsidies has been brought to book through a Lead SA intervention. The reverend was arrested by the Hawks in Johannesburg yesterday after he offered a R7-m bribe to Lead SA activist and Head of Crime Line, Yusuf Abramjee.

The reverend, who heads up the Scandinavian Baptist Church on the East Rand, is the owner of two private schools. One is based in the desperately needy informal settlement of Ramaphosa in Ekurhuleni. The other Ekukhanyeni Combined School is in Main Reef Road, Denver, outside the Johannesburg CBD.

Lead SA’s Terry Volkwyn and Yusuf Abramjee visited the Ramaphosa school last week and were appalled by the state of the facilities. The school requested assistance to feed hungry children.

“The children are eager to learn and make something of themselves, but their only meal of the day is the slice of bread and soup provided by the school,” said Volkwyn.

“Some of them wearing shoes without laces, socks with huge holes in them and school uniforms that are filthy and torn. I spoke to teachers who have come out of their retirement to make a difference to these children’s lives, but who sometimes have to go without a salary.

The school building itself was in serious disrepair, with broken desks and chairs strewn all over,” said Volkwyn.

Following their visit, Lead SA engaged Gauteng MEC of Education, Mrs Barbara Creecy. She confirmed the school has received some R5 million in subsidies each year for the past few years. She has now ordered a forensic audit.

The reverend was called into a meeting with Yusuf Abramjee on Monday and he confessed to pocketing the money. He confirmed that in addition to the R5,6 million he took for the school in Ramaphosa, he was receiving R15 million for a second school.

Following the meeting, the reverend offered Abramjee a bribe of R1,2 million to let the story go away and to ensure that he continues receiving the R21 million in subsidies. He later increased the offer to R7 million.

Abramjee immediately alerted the Hawks who set-up a sting operation. The cleric was arrested in Sandton moments after he handed over the first instalment of R50 000 cash – in R100 notes.

“The reverend confessed to pocketing the money in my discussions with him,” said Abramjee.

“The reverend has allegedly been blithely pocketing these funds, with very little of it going towards what it was intended. He drives around in the latest luxury car and lives in an upmarket home, whilst these poor children do not have transport to and from school, and many go hungry every day. He buys a measly 10 to 15 loaves of bread a day to feed 250 children. Even more horrifying is the fact that this person purports to be a man of the cloth, using religion to hide his evil ways,” he said.

The reverend has been charged with fraud and corruption.

Vokwyn said: “The time has come to clean up the mess. There are indications that the abuse of state money is widespread. I call on the Minister of Basic Education and Provincial MECs to immediately order a full audit of how money allocated to private schools is being spent.

“ I want to believe that our children will grow up in a country that values all that is good. But for that to happen, it starts with me and you doing the right thing. I call on you take up the call to steward the country into a better future. Stand up. Do the right thing.”

For more information visit www.leadsa.co.za

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