Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Lawrence Mavundla has been confirmed as president of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc).
This followed a court ruling on Thursday.
In a telephone interview with Sapa on Friday, Mavundla said the North Gauteng High Court had ordered the unequivocal return of all documents and material belonging to the organisation.
The documents had been in the possession of Buhle Mthethwa - who had claimed to be the president of Nafcoc - and eight other respondents, Mavundla said.
"The cloud hanging over our leadership and the organisation has lifted ... there seemed to be two structures running Nafcoc, now there is only one structure."
He said he had been "in office" for thirty days and had managed to make sure that all Nafcoc's provincial offices were funded.
"We're moving on and we want a different Nafcoc by 2014 ... a Nafcoc that is part of South African trade delegations.
"We're even setting up a R500m fund to assist our members to buy into big business," Mavundla said.
"And we'd like to assist those South Africans whose businesses have been taken by foreigners ... in the shopping centres in townships, small business is mainly owned by Pakistanis," he added.
He said local South Africans had lost out to foreign business participation in that there had been a lack of training, no access to finance and no buying in bulk.
Turning to the shares issued by Nafcoc's investment arm Nafhold, Mavundla said that shares were presently being distributed to Nafcoc members.
"We are going out to the provinces to look for members as we want to make sure that no one is left out."
Mavundla said that unlike Mthethwa, he was more than happy with Nafhold and its leadership. He added that under Nafcoc's previous leadership, initiatives had never worked out.
"We, Nafcoc, started African Bank - but we no longer own it."
"There was a Nafcoc shopping centre but we don't own that either," he said. "We even used to have a business magazine," he added.
Turned it around
Mavundla alleged that Mthethwa and her team began to "have problems" with Nafhold when they were asked to account for certain monies.
"Instead of accounting for it, they started making accusations against Nafhold management."
"Mthethwa was on the board of Nafhold - she could have taken up her concerns at board level but she did not."
Upon hearing that Mthethwa had told Sapa that she was still Nafcoc's president, Mavundla replied: "I don't know what to make of her, she doesn't even respect the court process."
Mavundla said that Nafcoc's annual general meeting had taken place on Friday. "There was a huge attendance, the largest ever ... the organisation is now very, very vibrant and I see excitement written in the eyes of members."
Mavunlda emphasised that all Nafoc members who "had listened to Mthethwa" were welcome to return to the organisation.
"We understand that they were misled," Mavundla said. The leadership tussle between Mthethwa and Mavundla arose after Mthethwa publicly said that Nafcoc's investment arm, Nafhold, had sold its shares worth millions of rands at hugely discounted rates to Nafhold chief executive Michael Leaf and board chairman Joe Hlongwane.
- Sapa
