Tbo Touch facilitated a loan for the minister
Two R1-million loans that Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula allegedly received from his late friend, businessman Wandile Bozwana, have come back to haunt him.
Sunday World has established that Mbalula and Bozwana had public fights about Mbalula’s failure to repay Bozwana a R1-million loan ahead of the businessman’s dramatic killing in a battle that has now sucked in former Metro FM presenter Thabo “Tbo Touch” Molefe. Documents
seen by Sunday World show Molefe played a part in facilitating a loan of R1-million to the minister in 2015.
Sunday World previously reported that police had successfully applied for a Section 205 order against Mbalula, which granted them permission to access his movements and cellphone records around the dates of the murder of Bozwana.
This week, the late businessman’s family and business associates said the minister had still not repaid a R1-million loan that was advanced to him through one of Bozwana’s front companies, Tsoga Developers, in 2015. 
According to three sources privy to the transactions, Mbalula also had run ins with Bozwana in 2014 after he failed to service a first R1-million loan that he had obtained allegedly to cover the travel costs of US boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather, for his visit to SA.
The second R1-million loan was advanced to Mbalula a year later for his trip to the US with Tbo Touch to watch Mayweather’s boxing fight against Manny Pacquiao.
These details are emerging amid investigations by the Provincial Investigations Unit, which has identified Mbalula as a person of interest in the investigation of Bozwana’s murder.
Bozwana was killed in a hail of bullets in 2015 while driving on the N1 highway at the Garsfontein offramp with his girlfriend Mpho Baloyi.
Sunday World also reported that Vincent Leshabane, one of the officers involved in the investigations, had deposed an affidavit indicating that Mbalula, then sports minister, had offered to hand in one of the main suspects, Vusi “Khekhe” Reginald Mathibela to the police, but had
failed to do so.
Mbalula previously confirmed to Sunday World that he was interviewed – but not interrogated – by the police on the matter.
His lawyers emphasised that he was not a suspect.
It has since transpired that Bozwana had insisted on an agreement drafted by his lawyers for the second million to avoid confusion.
We can reveal that Mbalula had signed a loan agreement with Hannes Peyper Attorneys undertaking to repay the loan. However, the minister had still not repaid the loan as recently as 2017, two years after it was advanced.
These details were also confirmed after a legal tussle ensued between Tsoga Developers, led by its MD Olebogeng Mosegedi and Peyper Attorneys, over the loan. Mosegedi, Tsoga Developers’ sole director, had argued in court papers that Bozwana had instructed Peyper Attorneys to advance the loan to Mbalula without consulting him – but that matter was settled out of court, according to a News24
report.
This was this week confirmed by one of Bozwana’s partners and business associate, who asked not be named.
The associate revealed that Mbalula approached Bozwana for the second loan, like he did with the initial R1-million loan he had obtained in 2014, which had nearly destroyed their friendship. 
The businessman said Mbalula delayed paying the initial loan for eight months, despite having promised to settle it within two months.
The source also revealed that both loans were obtained while Mbalula was sports minister. Mayweather was brought into the country through the support of Mbalula’s department.
“What I know is that there was no agreement signed with the first loan, and Bozwana was just given a bank account to transfer money into because Mayweather wanted to pull out of the trip because the costs for a private jet were not paid,” said the businessman.
These details were also confirmed by one of Bozwana’s girlfriends, who revealed the first R1-million loan had driven Bozwana mad after he was not paid on time.
She said Bozwana had flooded Mbalula with SMSes and phone calls reminding him that he was not running a charity for government.
This week, Tbo Touch referred inquiries to Mbalula, while Hannes Peyper and Mbalula read but did not respond to questions sent to them.
By Aubrey Mothombeni
mothombenia@156.38.205.90
