JOHANNESBURG - The chairperson of the Sekunjalo Group, Dr Iqbal Survé, has publicly dismissed reports that he has been using AYO Technology Services as his personal piggy bank during a live interview on SABC news channel SAfm.
Survé was interviewed live on SAfm talk show "The Talking Point" hosted by Bongi Gwala where he was grilled on the reported allegations.
Here are 10 important points made by Dr Survé during the interview:
Gwala put the allegations to Survé according to The Sunday Times reports, that he colluded with some AYO Technologies board members to secure an investment from the Public Investment Corporation, which eventually led to the PIC making a R4.3bn investment in the IT Company.
- Survé dismissed claims that he was using the funds from the PIC in a personal account and branded the Sunday Times as fake news.
- Survé said that the Sunday Times did not include any response from him or AYO Technologies, nor were they contacted to comment on the allegations.
- Survé further stated that AYO Technologies is not owned by him and that the Sekunjalo group owns less than 30% shares in the company, adding that AYO is a public company.
- Survé also said that AYO Technologies management team made a presentation to the PIC board and AYO has R4.5bn on the books.
- Survé said AYO Technologies is attacked continuously by a sinister media campaign to mislead the public
- When asked about the commission of inquiry allegations levelled against him, Survé said that AYO Technologies has no sight of the internal workings of the PIC and that the PIC processes have nothing to do with AYO Technologies.
- Survé urged the public to not prejudge the PIC commission, stating that there are still other people to testify and more information will come out as the commission continues and things will become more clear.
- Survé said he was never involved in the PIC deal with AYO Technologies.
- Survé said that the Sunday Times refered to a recording previously by two former executives, that had tried to shake down AYO for an exit payment which did not work.
- Survé ended by challenging Sole to tell the country at large if he did, or did not work for the apartheid era intelligence service.