Africa-Press – Eswatini. Dave van Niekerk says if Ecsponent Investors Relations Committee (IRC) is serious about getting back the stolen E340 million invested by Emaswati, he will happily help them trace the missing funds.
The South African businessman, whose name features prominently in the saga, was responding to Tuesday’s Ecsponent IRC’s press conference where issues related to the disappearance of the millions of Emalangeni belonging to Emaswati in Ecsponent were addressed to the media.
To start with, van Niekerk reiterated that he was never a director of Ecsponent, claiming that this was proven unequivocally.
The businessman said he would be happy to meet the chairman of the IRC or the whole committee to explain everything.
“And if the investor committee is serious about their work then I will happily help them trace the missing funds,” van Niekerk said in his statement sent to this publication.
He said he had reached out to Cliff Dekker to assist in their investigations to provide them with information that he and his lawyers had gathered regarding the disappearance of the E340 million belonging to EmaSwati in Ecsponent.
South Africa’s Cliff Dekker Hofmeyer (CDH) was appointed by the Central Bank of Eswatini in November last year to conduct a forensic investigation into what led to the mismanagement and theft of the E340 million investments.
The IRC, during the press conference, denounced whosoever had the courtesy to introduce the businessman to royalty before his name was cleared for his alleged involvement in the Ecsponent saga as well as Status Capital Building Society.
The committee wondered how van Niekerk can be allowed to meet and shake hands with His Majesty the King when his name was so controversial.
The IRC pointed out that there was even a court order warranting his arrest on sight.
However, van Niekerk, in his response statement, said the red notices illegally obtained under suspicious circumstances from the same judge were a matter of contention, and that when they are lifted he was willing to come to Eswatini to meet the committee and happily help them in the process of tracing the lost funds.
“In closing I would just like to reiterate again that I was never a director at Ecsponent and this has been proven time and time again,” he emphasised.
On another note, ESW Investment Group (ESWIG) has shared prospects for this year, saying the company continues to make progress towards the full sanitisation of ESWIG.
ESWIG further pointed out in its communiqué to investors last December that the IRC remained sensitive to investors’ demands for more information on the recovery efforts.
At the beginning of 2023, Ecsponent essentially had three types of investors with a total of over E423 million, E423 399 380 to be precise.
According to the company, the investor liability across all three categories continues to be reduced to the benefit of Emaswati.
It is said the strategic target of reducing the overall investor liability to at least E404 million by December 2024 was well on the way to be attained.
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