Manthata\u2019s company is a major supplier of emergency lights and related products to numerous units and divisions of the South African Police Service (SAPS), including Dladla\u2019s own unit. The PPS is responsible for protecting President Jacob Zuma, and Dladla is viewed as a long-time ally of Zuma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dladla and his then partner, Mogotladi Mogano, an official in the Presidency, bought the house for R3.2-million in July 2012, according to deeds records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The couple secured a bank loan for R2.72-million, meaning they needed to provide a deposit of R480 000 in order for the transaction to go through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dladla and Mogano would also have needed at least another R240 000 to cover the transfer fee and related costs, according to a leading estate agency\u2019s online calculator for property transfers. In total, the couple would therefore have been short to the tune of around R720 000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
News24<\/em> has established that Manthata came to the couple\u2019s rescue by directly contributing an amount of R700 000 in order for the transaction to be successfully completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No response<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Manthata, speaking through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing, but refused to respond to our set of detailed queries around the transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur client does not intend to respond to your email, and we reserve our client\u2019s rights to expand upon any issues in the appropriate forum and at the appropriate time should it become necessary. Our client denies any allegations and reserves the right to formally reply should same be necessary,\u201d said Andre du Plessis, Manthata\u2019s lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The SAPS, Dladla and Mogano all failed to respond to queries around the property deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police spokesperson Major-General Sally De Beer, however, did confirm that Manthata\u2019s company was listed as a registered supplier to the SAPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have been advised by procurement management that there is no contract in place with the company you mention. Any division or province may make use of the services of the supplier on a quotation basis as they are on the central database for suppliers,\u201d said De Beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added that ITLE was added to the SAPS supplier database in January 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n De Beer and fellow SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo both refused to respond to queries around SAPS\u2019 expenditure on products procured from Manthata\u2019s company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is our view that the South African Police Service is accountable to Parliament . . . in terms of the Public Finance Management Act. Therefore, we will not provide you with further details on this matter,\u201d said Naidoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ITLE\u2019s website, however, makes no secret of the fact that the SAPS and various metro police departments count among the company\u2019s major clients in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The website lists \u201cOffice of the President & Deputy President (Presidential Protection Unit), Ministers, MEC\u2019s, VIP Protection, Gauteng Provincial Traffic, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police, Ekhurhuleni Metropolitan Police, Tshwane Metropolitan Police, North-West Provincial Traffic [and] various provincial and municipal traffic departments\u201d as ITLE\u2019s core client base in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Several sources familiar with the SAPS\u2019 business dealings with ITLE have told News24<\/em> that the PPS headed by Dladla was ITLE\u2019s foremost client at one stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Presidential SAPS unit was ITLE\u2019s bread and butter, the company practically specialised in selling blue lights to that unit,\u201d recalls one such source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another source says that ITLE fitted blue lights systems to about 35 motorcycles and 15 cars belonging to the PPS, though it is not clear whether this project took place around the time of Dladla and Mogano\u2019s purchase of the Blue Valley property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cITLE was the sole distributor of Whelen products. This is an American manufacturer, so their products are very expensive. You could look at amounts of around R100 000 for ITLE to fit just one VIP vehicle or motorcycle with blue lights,\u201d said one of the sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both Dladla and Manthata have had a fair amount of media exposure for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent #GuptaLeaks report detailed how a Gupta-linked company tried to buy air tickets for Dladla and Mogano to travel to the Maldives, and how Dladla appeared to have been living in a property owned by another Gupta-linked company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mogano confirmed that an offer was made for her and Dladla to travel to the islands, but that they did not take the Gupta-linked company up on its offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/amabhungane.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/bluelights2.png\")
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Bread and butter<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\nControversy-ridden past<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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