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Iqbal Survé

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South African business magnate and philanthropist

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Iqbal Survé
Iqbal Survé in 2015.
Born (1963-02-12) February 12, 1963 (age 61)
Cape Town
NationalitySouth African
OccupationChairman of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings
Years active1996-present
Websiteiqbalsurve.com

Iqbal Survé is a South African entrepreneur, billionaire, medical doctor, and self-professed philanthropist. He is the Chairman of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings, a diversified investment firm based in Cape Town, and the Chairman of Independent Media, one of South Africa's largest media companies. Survé is a controversial figure linked to Jacob Zuma and has been accused of editorial interference across Independent Media titles. He has also reportedly failed to repay loans from the government-controlled Public Investment Corporation and has been accused of using pensioners' money to fund his companies, his lifestyle and his property portfolio.

Early life

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Survé was born on 12 February 1963 in Cape Town, South Africa. Survé has two sisters and is the middle child. He grew up in the Cape Town suburb of Kenilworth. In 1985 Survé's father put the house on auction and the family moved to Lansdowne, a coloured designated area in Cape Town.

Sekunjalo Investments

Main article: Sekunjalo Investments

Survé left medicine in 1997 to found Sekunjalo Investments, with the aim of investing and assisting Black-owned businesses, and in 1999 listed it on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. In 2013, Sekunjalo purchased a 55% stake in Independent News & Media SA, South Africa's second biggest newspaper group, from its international parent company, Independent News & Media. The purchase was largely funded by a loan from the government-owned Public Investment Corporation which manages the Government Employees Pension Fund. By 2018 a large proportion of the Public Investment Corporation's investment in Sekunjalo was reportedly written off while Sekunjalo claimed that they had reached an amicable agreement with the PIC for a debt-for-shares swop. The PIC has since applied to liquidate Sekunjalo Independent Media.

Controversies

Claims of a relationship with Nelson Mandela

Survé claims a close relationship with Nelson Mandela, and in 2014, a Leadership Platform article in Business Report (a paper owned by Survé's Sekunjalo group) stated that Survé had been Mandela's doctor "on and off Robben Island". These claims have been disputed on various grounds.

Mandela's personal assistant of 18 years, Zelda la Grange, said she had no knowledge of any relationship between Survé and Mandela.

Survé claims that he was among a group of doctors assigned to accompany Mandela upon his release from Victor Verster Prison in 1990 in the event that an assassination attempt was carried out while Mandela spoke outside the Cape Town City Hall following his release. Following this first meeting with Mandela, Survé says that he and Mandela maintained a close relationship. Survé claimed that he was a confidant to Mandela, as well as all successive democratically-elected presidents of South Africa, and that Mandela would occasionally seek medical advice from him. Survé claims that he became known as the 'Struggle Doctor' to comrades in the African National Congress for his role in treating anti-apartheid activists who were injured during protest action in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. These claims have likewise been disputed.

Claims of a relationship with Ahmed Kathrada

Survé also claimed to be mentored by Mandela's fellow prisoner and anti-apartheid stalwart Ahmed Kathrada, who confirmed in 2017 that he had accompanied Survé and his family to Robben Island a few years prior.

Kathrada denied having been a mentor and stated that he "did not know the man personally".

Termination of banking services

Several banks, including Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Investec, Standard Bank and Mercantile Bank refuse to do business with any company tied to Survé and his Sekunjalo Investment Holdings. 28 more banks and representative offices of foreign banks are boycotting Survé and his companies. The biggest South African banks cited the Mpati Commission findings of the "malfeasance" of Survé's group.

Divorce settlement

In August 2016, African News Agency (ANA), a Sekunjalo subsidiary for which Survé served as executive chairman made a payment of ZAR 25 million to Survé's personal bank account. In response to a query from Nedbank, Aziza Amod, Survé's sister and a Sekunjalo executive who serves on various boards of Sekunjalo subsidiary companies, referred to the payment as a "spouse settlement". Nedbank was concerned as to why ANA had settled Survé's divorce settlement, to which Survé responded that his sister misstated the reason for the transaction and that ANA did not settle "any divorce settlement". Instead he claimed that the payment was an inter-company loan between ANA and Sekunjalo Investment Holdings. Court documents indicated that Nedbank was not satisfied with the response as the payment was paid to Survé's personal account and not that of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings.

Payments to politicians

Survé has come under fire for making payments to a number of politicians and politically exposed persons. An amount of R 30 000 was paid to controversial former ANC spokesperson Carl Niehaus, which according to Survé's sister was a loan due to financial distress experienced by Niehaus.

In 2018, Survé's asset management company, 3 Laws Capital, paid R 200 000 to former cabinet minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson. Joemat-Pettersson claimed that the payment was a loan which she had repaid. Joemat-Pettersson was previously linked to Survé, having irregularly awarded an R 800 million marine services tender to Sekunjalo, which resulted in her fall from grace.

The payment to Joemat-Pettersson came a few months after Sekunjalo subsidiary AYO Technology Solutions received a R 4.3 billion cash investment from the state-controlled Public Investment Corporation of which R 870 million was advanced to 3 Laws Capital. Joemat-Pettersson died on 5 June 2023 and an inquest into the circumstances of her death was opened by the South African Police Services following allegations of attempted bribery.

Qatargate scandal

European Union records have indicated that Survé's Sekunjalo Development Foundation was the largest donor to a European Union lobbying organisation called Fight Impunity, which has been embroiled in the Qatargate scandal. According to court documents, Survé's foundation was claimed to be the "most important donor". Survé admitted to having made a donation of ZAR 4.5 million to Fight Impunity but denied any wrongdoing on his part.

International activities

Survé was chairman of the World Economic Forum's Global Growth Companies (GGC) advisory board and as vice-chairman of the Global Agenda Council on Emerging Multinationals.

Survé was the South African chairman of the South Africa-Saudi Arabia Business Council as well as a patron of the South Africa-Italy Summit.

Survé was appointed chairperson of the BRICS Business Council in 2017, in a role to oversee the strengthening of South Africa's ties with the East amidst political uncertainty in Western powers.

From left: Mandla Mkhwanazi, Javed Malik, Slauzy Mogami, Dr Iqbal Survé, Lizeka Matshekga, Mvuleni Qhena, Irvindra Naidoo and George Sebulela, pose for a photograph after meeting in Sandton, Gauteng.
Dr Iqbal Survé (fourth from left) with members of the BRICS Business Council in Sandton, in June 2018.

Survé was also appointed co-chair of the BRICS Media Forum, a body formed to coordinate and cooperate in telling stories of developing nations via media organisations of BRICS countries.

Survé was appointed to the board of the Belt and Road News Network Council linked to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that was initiated by China’s President Xi Jinping to push for infrastructure-driven investment spanning across Africa, Asia and Europe. Survé serves as the Chairman of the Belt and Road Fund for Africa.

Recognition

In 2006, the JSE-listed Sekunjalo Investments (now AEEI) led by Survé received the Financial Mail Top Empowerment Companies Award. Sekunjalo’s overall BEE score came in at 76,44%, while its preferential procurement spend stood at 10,5% and economic interest at 54%. For employment equity it achieved 9,1%.

Survé was awarded the Sakeleier van die Jaar (Business Leader of the Year) in 2007 jointly by Afrikaans newspaper Die Burger and the Kaapse Sakekamer, a network managed by the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut which historically supported Afrikaner businesses.

Survé served as a member of the Governors Committee of the UCT Foundation Trust whose role was envisaged as to advise on fundraising matters. He also served as Chair of the Advisory Board of UCT’s GSB.

In 2013, Survé was named by London-based New African Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans in business, citing his achievements as a "campaigner for freedom, medical doctor and entrepreneur".

In June 2023, Survé was honoured with Russian Foreign Ministry's medal for cooperation, presented to him by Sergey Lavrov in Cape Town. Lavrov recognised Survé for his contribution to BRICS.

Philanthropy

In July 2021, Survé's Pretoria News and IOL published a series of fake news articles about a woman giving birth to ten babies in a single pregnancy with multiple requests for donations. Survé himself pledged a donation of one million rands to the supposed parents of the babies despite there being no evidence of the woman being pregnant or giving birth. Survé flew in the supposed father of the babies as well as Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi who fabricated the story from Gauteng to Cape Town, where a joint press briefing, exclusive to journalists from Survé's media entities, was held at Survé's upmarket Sekunjalo head office at the V&A Waterfront. The story was debunked by the BBC as well as Independent Media's own ombud and the Public Protector, however, Survé maintained that the babies did exist and had been trafficked but did not provide any evidence to back his claims.

Following the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye, Survé Philanthropies donated R15 million worth of aid in the form of tents, clothing, blankets, gas heaters and other items. The aid was handed over to the Turkish Consul General in Cape Town, Sinan Yeşildağ on 14 April 2023. The donation followed a "large advertisement" by the Turkish Embassy in Survé's Independent Media titles. Survé was criticised for making this donation at a time when Independent Media had consistently failed to pay staff their full salaries.

Survé has been criticised for repeatedly claiming that he donates most of his money while Independent Media interns "are paid a pittance and sometimes not paid for months on end".

Further reading

References

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  5. Pauw, Jacques. "The breathtaking 'revelations' of Survé's media mob". Vrye Weekblad (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  6. Hogg, Alec (25 July 2022). "Lies and secrets alive and well in South Africa". BizNews.com. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
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