Brett Kebble

Roger Brett Kebble (19 February 1964 – 27 September 2005) was a South African mining magnate with close links to factions in the ruling political party, the African National Congress.

He matriculated from St. Andrew's School, Bloemfontein, and earned a law degree from the University of Cape Town in 1986.

He was an articled clerk at Mallinicks thereafter.

Known to be personally eccentric, he became a major player in South African gold and diamond mining from the mid-1990s, especially through black economic empowerment deals, but was embroiled in allegations of corporate fraud and misconduct, the extent of which was revealed only after his death.

He entered mining in 1991, when he and his father, a former mining engineer, acquired a controlling stake in Rand Leases Gold Mining and later acquired leadership of Randgold & Exploration through a hostile takeover.

In partnership with Mzi Khumalo as part of a black economic empowerment deal, Kebble bought a controlling stake in JCI in 1995, though his and Khumalo's relationship later soured.

At one point or another, he had a substantial interest in several other mid-size mining companies, including Randex, Randgold Resources, Consolidated African Mines, Harmony, Western Areas, and Durban Deep; and he was involved in numerous black economic empowerment deals.

Under his leadership, and to finance its R4-billion acquisition of the South Deep gold mine, Western Areas sold a half-interest in South Deep to a rival firm and hedged production forward at a low price, to disastrous consequences when the gold price increased.

Subsequently, Kebble's reputation declined.

He was reportedly allied with the ANC Youth League and with Jacob Zuma, who, during the early 2000s, led an internal faction of the ANC which opposed President Thabo Mbeki.

After his death, party members honoured him in the media and at his funeral, and Essop Pahad gave the eulogy.

At that point, 14.4 million shares in Randgold Resources were missing – Kebble claimed that they had been loaned out – and Randgold & Exploration had been suspended from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and delisted from Nasdaq for failing to publish its 2004 financial results.

The South African National Prosecuting Authority later said that, at the time of his death, Kebble had been facing prosecution for fraud and contravention of the Stock Exchanges Control Act.

Kebble was reported to be a member of the African National Congress (ANC), and was certainly one of its major financiers, especially in the Western Cape.

He was shot dead on 27 September 2005 in Johannesburg.

The investigation into his death, involving several prominent businessmen and politicians, received significant public attention.

On 30 August 2005, he was deposed from the companies he controlled – Western Areas, JCI, and Randgold & Exploration – as a condition of loans to keep the companies afloat, and amid concerns about financial irregularities and corporate governance lapses.

He was shot dead near a bridge over the M1 in Abbotsford, Johannesburg at around 9 p.m. on 27 September 2005, aged 41, while driving to a dinner engagement with his business associate, Sello Rasethaba.

He was shot several times while in the driver's seat of his Mercedes.

Forensic scientist Dr David Klatzow's investigation was the first to suggest that Kebble had been shot by people known to him with a pistol using 'low-velocity' ammunition used by bodyguards and security operatives.

The purpose of such bullets, which require a specially adapted pistol, was to hit assassins and terrorists without passing through their bodies and hitting bystanders or hostages.

Despite the closer range, the gunpowder burns in general were not severe, providing further evidence that the ammunition was of a special "reduced charge".

Klatzow was also first to suggest that Kebble had committed assisted suicide.

On 16 November 2006, businessman Glenn Agliotti was arrested in connection with Kebble's murder.

Agliotti, a convicted drug-dealer, was a personal friend of Jackie Selebi, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service.

Agliotti admitted, and Selebi confirmed, that he had called Selebi shortly after Kebble's death, from near the scene of the murder.

Although Kebble's family denied that he would have committed suicide, Agliotti claimed that his death had been an "assisted suicide."

In its indictment of Kebble on 27 October 2008, the National Prosecuting Authority gave credence to this claim: it recognised that Kebble had orchestrated his own murder, and sought to prosecute Agliotti for his involvement in the plot.

His name was also prominent in media coverage of Jackie Selebi's 2009 corruption trial.

In 2009, while Agliotti was awaiting trial, Selebi was prosecuted for corruption, accused of accepting bribes and gifts from Kebble, Agliotti, and businessman Billy Rautenbach in exchange for information and preferential police treatment.

During that trial, Agliotti testified that Kebble's security chief, Clinton Nassif, had, at Kebble's request, hired three hit men – Mikey Schultz, Nigel McGurk, and Faizel Smith – to shoot and kill him.

Agliotti was ultimately charged with Kebble's murder; conspiracy to murder Kebble; the attempted murder of Stephen Mildenhall, an Allan Gray fund manager; and conspiracy to murder three other executives, Danie Nortier, Mark Bristow, and Mark Wellesley-Wood.

2010 court testimony revealed that Kebble was killed by hit men hired by his security chief, allegedly at his own request – an apparent suicide-by-murder.

However, the complete circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.

Kebble was born in the mining town of Springs, on the East Rand.

When his trial began in the South Gauteng High Court, following several delays, in July 2010, Agliotti pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Early in the trial, one of the hit men, Mikey Schultz, confirmed Kebble's claim that he, McGurk, and Smith had been hired by Nassif – at a fee of R2 million – to assist Kebble in his own suicide.

Schultz said that he had himself pulled the trigger and had shot Kebble five times.

Schultz also testified that all of his instructions had come from Nassif, and thus admitted that he could not directly implicate Agliotti in the planning or execution of Kebble's death.

In November 2010, Agliotti was acquitted when the court ruled that the state had not made a prima facie case against him.