The South African Communist Party (SACP) has for many years publicly denounced the building of the state-of-the-art Gautrain, criticising it for being beyond the means of the average worker and for bypassing black townships. Ironically, it’s just been discovered that the party has had an indirect stake in the project from the get-go.

The SACP’s investment vehicle, Masincazelane, owns shares in J&J, which in turn has a stake in the Gautrain’s operating company, the Bombela Concession Company. Bombela won the government contract to build and run the Gautrain.

This has been revealed in answer to recent demands for transparency around any individuals connected to the ANC who might benefit from the Gautrain freeway improvement project and its e-tolling initiative.

It’s interesting to note that before SACP deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin became deputy transport, minister, he was also vociferously against the Gautrain for its spiralling expenses. Apparently he viewed it as “an extremely expensive project directed narrowly at servicing a small elite market at a time when Gautengers face major problems of access and mobility”.

Cronin’s views had changed by June 2010 before the Soccer World Cup, when he handed over the Bombela’s operating safety permit and declared, “Viva, Gautrain! Viva!”

[Source: MG]