By: Natasha Archary
In an explosive interview on Carte Blanche, Shauwn Mkhize, better known by her supporters as Mamkhize, maintains that her record is clean, stating that she’s never been charged, nor convicted of fraud.
Mkhize’s interview on the investigative show comes after the multi-millionaire businesswoman served Carte Blanche with a cease and desist order following the airing of an investigation into her football club, Royal AM.
In February, Carte Blanche did an exposé on how the Msunduzi Local Municipality in Pietermaritzburg put up a R27 million sponsorship deal for Royal AM.
Mkhize didn’t take lightly to being labelled a “convicted fraudster” by the show and took the legal route, but days before the matter was to be heard in court, withdrew her case.
Apart from this sponsorship, Mkhize amassed her wealth through her various businesses, managing to secure multi-million Rand government tenders for low-cost housing projects in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Since 2005, Mkhize’s enterprise have received over R1 billion in government tenders, for various projects including low-cost housing and public works.
Her mother, Florence Mkhize was an African National Congress (ANC) veteran and anti-apartheid activist.
The Royal AM CEO sat down for an interview with Govan Whittles and denied ever being convicted for fraud in 2005, despite there being court documentation from her following arrests of her admission to a previous conviction.
“I don’t need to describe myself to anyone. I will never entertain the noise of the world. I live in my own world, with my own rules.
I didn’t choose to be born in a political environment. Why can’t people look at me as a young black woman who has worked very hard?
Who has pushed boundaries, who has opened doors and broke down the walls.
Am I supposed to because I come from a very strong politcial family background, am I supposed to shy away because people will think whatever I get it’s because of (that)?
Don’t you think it’s a bit unfair?
What I can tell you is that my record is clean. I can tell you that I have never been charged in my personal capacity for fraud.
It’s the company. Because it was the company that was charged.”
Shauwn Mkhize maintains that she was never charged nor convicted of fraud
Despite denying that she has never been charged for fraud or tax evasion, Carte Blanche revealed records that show Mkhize had in fact been charged multiple times.
Mkhize was also arrested in 2011 for tax evasion and in 2012 she was arrested for allegedly defeating the ends of justice.
In 2011, Mkhize’s cleaning company, Zikhulise Cleaning, Maintenance and Transport CC was investigated for tax evasion.
The charges included, tax evasion, fraud as well as forgery and uttering.
Mkhize submitted applications to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the case was withdrawn in 2014.
