[This illegal black Zimbabwean, was obviously, cleverer, and harder working than these local black South Africans. It sounds to me as if he maybe even deserved the money he made. Jan]

Multimillionaire businessman Edward Rusike was living the BEE dream: winning multimillion-rand government tenders, partnering with communication heavyweights and even installing cable in President Thabo Mbeki’s office.

But when the 43-year-old self-proclaimed South African was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion that he is, in fact, an illegal Zimbabwean immigrant, that dream began falling apart.

Now the high-flyer, whose information technology company has ironically also won multiple communication tenders from the correctional services department, is being detained in Pretoria Central prison and is facing jail time as well as deportation for fraud and violating the Immigration Act.

It is understood that the state will allege that Rusike used forged South African identity documents to live and work in South Africa for at least seven years – during which, among other lucrative deals, his Maokomavi Communications company secured a R70-million tender with the Tshwane Metro.

In 2003, Maokomavi (together with the highly successful Bytes Communication Systems) were hired to “supply, install and maintain a complete integrated Alcatel voice and data networking solution” for the Tshwane Metro over a three-year period.

According to Maokomavi’s website, their impressive client list also includes the presidency, the Gauteng provincial government, Rand Water, Pikitup, Harmony and GrandWest Casino.

However, Mbeki has taken issue with these claims and with what might be the illegal use for commercial gain of Mbeki’s picture on the Maokomavi Communications website.

Speaking to The Sunday Independent, Mukoni Ratshitanga, the presidential spokesperson, stressed that, while Maokomavi had installed cables in the president’s office in 2001, that was only after it was subcontracted to do so by Alcatel, the company that had won the actual tender for the work.

“The president’s office therefore never had any direct dealings with Maokomavi Communications We paid Alcatel for the work that was done, not Maokomavi.”

Ratshitanga said that the use of Mbeki’s picture on the website’s “projects and references” page “appears to be intended for commercial gain”.

If this were the case, he said, it would constitute a violation of the 1941 Marks Merchandise Act. “We will be advising our legal department to take the necessary action,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rusike’s Maokomavi work associates are reeling from the news of his arrest on Wednesday afternoon and subsequent appearance in the Pretoria commercial crimes court on Friday.

Muzi Kunene, who was in the process of selling his 9.9 percent share in Maokomavi to Rusike when Rusike was arrested, said he still could not believe that Rusike had managed to run his business and secure multiple government tenders without his citizenship being called into question.

“I worked with Eddie for three years and there was no indication of anything like what the police are saying. We would regularly submit our documents when we made tender proposals and nothing ever came up.

“At the moment, I feel an incredible sense of betrayal I don’t know what the repercussions are going to be, but right now it’s just a total mess,” he said.

The Sunday Independent has learnt that Rusike was arrested after he submitted a sworn affidavit to the home affairs department in which he claimed he was born in South Africa but had lost his documentation.

Home affairs then conducted its own investigation, in which officials are understood to have recovered Rusike’s Zimbabwean birth certificate and traced his parents.

The probe last week resulted in a senior home affairs official laying a charge against Rusike under section 43 of the Immigration Act.

Mantshele Tau, a home affairs spokesperson, said the department would comment on its role in Rusike’s arrest “in due course”.

Rusike was arrested at his attorney’s offices in Sandton on Wednesday afternoon, during his preparation for a civil claim brought against him by Imvotech, an information technology company.

Police on the scene described Rusike as “very surprised”.

“I don’t think he expected [to be arrested],” one officer said.

Captain Jethro Mtshali, the North and East Rand police spokesman, on Saturday confirmed that Rusike had been arrested for fraud and would be appearing in court again on Tuesday.

George Ross Munro, Rusike’s lawyer, declined to make any comment on the case.

Using addresses and phone numbers supplied by Rusike to the South African Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office, The Sunday Independent attempted to contact his family.

But Rusike’s “home address” turned out to be an open plot and his “home phone number” went through to Mr Price Home.

Asked if he had contact details for Rusike, Kunene said: “Eddie always kept to himself He had my number but I never had his.

“But, for everything that has happened, I have always admired him for being very professional. He always seemed to have everything together. Or that’s how it seemed to me until now.”