Johannesburg - A German arms company Ferrostaal has paid R75m towards the making of a movie about Nelson Mandela, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.
DA shadow minister of trade and industry Tim Harris said that Minister Rob Davies had provided the information about funding for the movie Long Walk to Freedom in a reply to a parliamentary question.
"The minister confirmed that Ferrostaal contributed R75m to the R250m required to produce the movie.
"Half of this amount - approximately R37,5m - was structured as a grant. The other half was a loan".
Harris said the payment was an "offset" commitment for Ferrostaal under the multi-billion rand arms deal.
"This raises questions about the moral appropriateness of an arms company, especially one tainted by allegations of corruption, investing in a movie about Nelson Mandela."
Harris said that Ferrostaal was being investigated in several European countries and its head offices in Germany were raided last year.