A Free State businessman has accused two local ANC leaders of demanding a bribe.
Robert Madie claims Duma Mthombeni and Jonas Kotsi demanded that he donate R3 million to the party to protect his R58-million municipal water tender.
Mthombeni is the husband to Ngwathe mayor Victoria De Beer-Mthombeni while Kotsi is party chief whip in Mafube.
Robert Madie claims threats were made to cancel the contract if he refused, with R400,000 already paid into Mthombeni’s company account, allegedly misused for personal gain. Mthombeni and Kotsi, through their lawyers, vehemently deny the allegations, calling them “defamatory” and threatening a R10-million lawsuit against Madie.
Madie’s detailed letter to the Mafube mayor outlines meetings, cash demands, and political coercion, intensifying the credibility clash. The scandal implicates ANC figures in the Fezile Dabi region, spotlighting systemic corruption in tender processes and alleged abuse of power for party financing.
Madie’s claim that he invested R11-million of personal funds into the project underscores risks faced by businesses entangled in political extortion.
In response, Mthombeni and Kotsi have served Madie, the managing director of Moroka JV Mbunana Building, with legal notices demanding he cease making what they call false accusations of corruption.
Mthombeni’s legal team, Vana Tshabalala Attorneys, sent a letter on March 26 stating that Madie’s allegations of soliciting R3 million for Mthombeni’s company, Skybuild, were defamatory and harmful. They emphasised their client’s intent to pursue all legal avenues, including defamation claims, to protect his reputation.
Similarly, Kotsi’s lawyers, Corne Boshoff Attorneys, in a letter dated March 21, argued Madie’s claims were intended solely to defame their client, suggesting a political motive. They demanded Madie provide evidence or face legal consequences.
Madie’s letter to Mayor Motsoeneng, dated March 5, mentions that before submitting a payment certificate on November 23, he was instructed by Kotsi and Ngozo to transfer R3 million to Skybuild’s account by December 3. Due to financial constraints, he managed only R400,000. Madie alleges ongoing threats from Kotsi to terminate his company’s contract if the rest was not paid.
At a meeting in Kroonstad, Madie claims he was pressured by Mthombeni and other ANC members to fund the ANC Fezile Dabi region or risk losing his water reticulation project. Madie protested, asserting the project was awarded fairly, but faced insistence to financially support the ANC.
Madie later learnt the R400,000 he transferred was used for personal gains, not the ANC. He confronted the mayor, saying, “We are not going to carry on with the project if this matter persists,” expressing willingness to support the ANC voluntarily but not under coercion.
Madie also noted he and his associate had already invested R11 million into the project, anticipating payments from Mafube. Mthombeni, De Beer-Mthombeni, and Kotsi denied meeting or communicating with Madie. Mthombeni is pursuing a R10-million lawsuit against Madie.
