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South
Africa is considering returning more than R100-million in Nigerian money that
it confiscated last year, or clearing the way to sell arms to the West African
country.
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Nigerian money seized
by South Africa officials is under investigation, but there is a plan for it designed to
please the country's new president.
by
Mmanaledi Mataboge
The
Mail & Guardian
has learned through diplomatic sources that South Africa has begun talks to
work out a process to return the money in an effort to start off on a clean
slate with the recently elected government of the Nigerian president-elect,
Muhammadu Buhari.
South
African law enforcement agencies seized US$15-million in two batches: US$5.7-million
that had been wired to Standard Bank and US$9.3-million in cash, which was
confiscated. It was brought into the country through Lanseria airport in
Johannesburg in three suitcases by a delegation said to represent the Nigerian
government. In both cases, the money was suspected to be for illegal use.
Now
South Africa wants to use the money to extend an olive branch to Buhari’s
government and mend relations between the two countries, which became strained
during the tenure of outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan.
“The
positive thing about [Buhari] is that one of the people who supported him is
Atiku Abubakar. That makes him our man and he will automatically work well with
[President Jacob] Zuma,” a government source said.
Close
connection
Abubakar
is close to Zuma. He was Nigeria’s deputy president during the presidency of
Olusegun Obasanjo, at the time when Zuma was Thabo Mbeki’s deputy.
“Also,
this man [Buhari] is a [retired] military general. It is true that the military
needs some beefing up to fight Boko Haram and we should help,” the source
added.
So
how will Nigeria know that it stands to benefit from an otherwise controversial
transaction that had exacerbated tensions between the two countries?
Explained
the government source: “Diplomatically you send a signal. Obviously they will
have to make a request once they receive a positive signal, but the request
will just be an official step to finalising the transaction.”
Buhari
is due to take over the leadership of the country after winning the recent
elections. Formal talks have not yet begun but South Africa has apparently
started sending “positive signals” through its diplomats in Nigeria and to the
Nigerian embassy in Pretoria.
Diplomatically
favourable
To
ensure that the process of returning the money or regularising the sale of arms
looks as clean as possible, the Hawks investigation will continue, the source
said, but will be managed politically to reach a conclusion that is
diplomatically favourable.
“One
way is to make the investigators say: ‘Yes, a law has been broken, but it’s
true that the government [of Nigeria] is the owner of that money and genuinely
wanted to buy arms legally. They might have flouted the rules, but it’s a
genuine transaction.’ [We will say] this money does not come from dirty hands
or rebels or arms dealers,” the source said.
“We
will find a way to regularise the transaction and either return the money or
give them arms.”
Nigeria
wanted to buy arms such as helicopters and ammunition to strengthen its fight
against Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.
Last
year, the M&G
reported that the head of the national conventional arms control committee,
Jeff Radebe, who is also the minister in the presidency, was blamed by his
colleagues in government for taking a unilateral decision to try to regularise
the sale of arms to Nigeria to facilitate the release of bodies of South Africans
who were killed when the TB Joshua church building collapsed in Nigeria.
At
the time, Radebe denied it and said the committee had met in October and
decided to propose unlocking the Nigerian arms trade.
‘Bona
fide error’
The
M&G quoted from
two letters that Radebe had written to JP “Torie” Pretorius of the Hawks and
Dumisani Dladla, the head of the arms control committee’s secretariat, in which
he said the failed attempt on September 5 to pay an arms dealer in South Africa
“was, in fact, a legitimate requirement from the government of Nigeria”.
“Although the required administrative processes were not adhered to at the
time, the government of South Africa deems it a bona fide error,” he
wrote.
This
week a government source told the M&G:
“What Jeff did may have been unilateral, but it is now an avenue that South
Africa is willing to explore. Even when we were doing damage control after your
story, the discussion centred around how we can get a positive outcome out of
this.”
The
committee apparently met after the article was published in November last year
and decided to use the return of the money or the sale of arms to appease the
new government of Nigeria after the elections.
“After
the story, they had to regroup and say: ‘How do we deal with this situation?’
You cannot let it hang forever; you must find a way to conclude it in a way
that will satisfy both sides,” the source said.
Zuma
has apparently been briefed by ministers who serve on the committee and has
warmed to the idea. Efforts to get comment from Zuma’s spokesperson Mac Maharaj
and from Radebe were unsuccessful.
Improved
relations
Relations
between Nigeria and South Africa have not been at their best, particularly
between the Zuma and Jonathan administrations.
“[By
returning this money] you get friendship, loyalty and an opportunity where he
[Buhari] is willing to work with us to lead the continent and speak with one
voice.
“Instead
of Nigeria second-guessing us all the time, we will compare notes and stop
fighting for things like the United Nations Security Council seat that’s not
even permanent,” the source said.
“Nigeria
is a strategic country that South Africa cannot ignore. It’s a big market. It’s
possible South African companies make more money in Nigeria than in South
Africa.”
When
Buhari took on Jonathan in last month’s elections, Pretoria was already
positioning itself for refreshed relations with Abuja.
‘Contributions
to democracy’
The
M&G has seen a
letter that Buhari wrote to Zuma a few days before the elections, in which he
complained about Jonathan’s alleged delaying tactics over the poll and the use
of violence in an attempt to sway the vote in his favour.
“I
thank your government and your mission in Nigeria for your contributions to
Nigeria’s democratic process. While Nigeria’s democracy must be established and
secured by the commitment to fairness and the rule of law of Nigerians, the
goodwill and positive influence of your government have helped us on this
difficult yet vital journey,” Buhari wrote. “It is not your business who wins elections
in Nigeria, but we seek your help in making sure the election is a free and
fair one for us to win or lose according to the people’s will.”
He
is expected to hold a one-on-one meeting with Zuma on the sidelines of the
African Union summit that South Africa is hosting in June, and it’s anticipated
that the issue of the seized money will be discussed.
Either
Zuma or Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend Buhari’s inauguration in
May.
Asked for comment,
department of international relations and co-operation spokesperson Nelson
Kgwete said the department had not been in talks with Nigeria over the
confiscated money and knew nothing about a proposal to either return the money
or sell arms to that country.
Originally published in South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper
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