A ‘tell all’ book that seeks to lift the lid on corruption in Nelson Mandela Bay was launched in the Metro on Monday night.
How To Steal A City is authored by Crispian Olver, who said he was sent by axed Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, to root out corruption in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Olver said over the next eighteen months, leading up to the 2016 local government elections, he led the investigation and orchestrated the crackdown as the so-called "hatchet-man for former mayor, Danny Jordaan."
Olver, who admits to his role in the saga, said the book was "his account of kick-backs, rigged contracts and a political party, being the ANC, at war with itself."
Speaking at the sold-out launch, Olver said that his book would upset a lot of people, including local business people. He admits that he betrayed the confidence of people who considered him a Comrade.
Answering questions, Olver said he was not here to shame anyone and that he hoped that the book, in lifting the lid on corruption, could ultimately help take the country forward.
He said that the intervention team sent by Gordhan at the time had limited success in cleaning up the rot.
"There was an intervention team, I think they were told to clean up. I think we did clean up, not completely, but I think we started that process. But, the politics of the intervention I think fell apart. We were not able to overcome the entrenched factionalism that was present in the city and the ANC went into the election basically, pulling itself apart."
Olver said the revelations in his book "may be" damaging to the ANC in the 2019 election. "But, I do believe that an honest period of introspection is the best thing for the ANC. So, I'm not going to ask the question about the ANC in terms of 2019, I'm going to ask it in terms of its very survival as an organisation."
"If the party wants to keep the confidence of the voters, it’s got to talk honestly about these things and not just make some nice statements. So, it may be damaging, I apologise for that but my intention long terms is to start a process that I think will build the organisation and not collapse it."
Olver said the focus of his story "is what I did", not "what you did", he said, in response to a question about whether he had betrayed the confidences of the people with whom he had worked with in ANC structures, particularly funding committees during the 18 month period in Nelson Mandela Bay.
"The real story is what I did and why I did it. How I crossed the line. So, I hope I'm being as rigorous with myself as I am with others. Because, if I'm not then I'm being dishonest. That for me is the measurement," he said.
"That's the test that I have to live up to," Olver said.
Speaking of the difficulty he had in writing the book Olver said it was a constant battle that he had to fight in that he was part of a process in the city, “a deeply political process and I was party of a party that I believed very strongly in.”
"In that process I became deeply intimate with a whole lot of processes and people and I learned things and I did things, which I describe in a lot of detail and then committing it to paper is a difficult journey."
Olver said he was constantly confronted by this question, "am I betraying the confidence that people gave me, the intimacy that existed. Because, surely when they saw me they never expected that I would be writing a book."
"In telling this tale I've put a lot down on paper that I think will upset some people, but there benchmark I've stuck was (whether there) is a public interest in hearing this and does that out-weight the other concerns I have and am I being honest in the telling. So, when I tell it, do I tell as much about my own role as about anyone else’s."
Olver said the subjects that the book traverses are critical subjects that cut to the very heart of what's going on in society today. He said his purpose was not to write an expose' but to explore a deeper narrative.
"I have found in the process of this intimacy that I talk about, getting close to the politics and the governance of the city I have discovered the world. It's opened my eyes and I'm hoping with the book to do the same. To take you into a set of broader truths about what's going on around us. At the very least I believe that in the history of Port Elizabeth and what's happened here and where its evolving, you can draw profound insights into what's going on more broadly in our country and society and where that's heading," Olver said.
He said "if anything, PE has some very positive lessons, some enormously positive stories, not least the "rent seeking" project (which he says is described in detail in the book), comes out of some very honourable political traditions. This is part of the tragedy. It comes out of some values and struggles that he said he holds very dear in his heart.
"But, this project eventually disintegrates, it splinters. The leaders involved in the project become focused on manipulation of tenders and contracts and ultimately the thing almost collapses on itself," he said.
Responding to the release of the book, Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Athol Trollip said that allegations contained in Olver's book will be investigated.
"This coalition government has taken a zero tolerance approach to corruption since coming into office. A number of contracts have already been frozen, a number of officials suspended and a significant amount of laptops and documents.
If indeed there is merit to Olver's allegations, with evidence to substantiate, then appropriate action will be taken against all implicated officials or service providers," Trollip said.
