Here is a short synopsis of Dianne Lang's situation (as at 2nd June 2008):
All details can be found on the website www.diannelang.com or by looking up Dianne Lang on google or by contacting Dianne personally to get details on how to contact lawyers, auditors, trustees or anyone else you would like to speak to, to verify any statement. Her email address is dianne.lang1@googlemail.com
Dianne Lang began an HIV awareness campaign in Middelburg, Eastern Cape in 2000 funded entirely with her own funds. She went on to found and registered a non profit children's home in 2002. Since then she has worked tirelessly for the rights of children in South Africa, with no government funding until late in 2007 when she was given a once-off six-month grant for specific projects to be carried out.
She has been the recipient of the Runner up 2004 Spar Woman of the Year Award, 2005 Woman of the Year Clarins Eau Dynamisante Award, Top 100 SA Woman Achievers Award in 2005, one of the six South African Heroes awarded by the South African Marketing Council in 2006 and has been nominated numerous times by the Shoprite Woman of the Year Award category.
The home has been refuge for up to 76 children at one time and she currently cares for 42 children and employs 12 staff members. Six overseas volunteers work on a 3 month rotation basis and supplement the staff compliment. She has sold her own home to fund the children's home and the work that she does. All donations are private donations, raised by Dianne from private individuals.
Every child rights abuse that she has brought to the attention of the authorities in power has resulted in an investigation against her. Evidence of this abuse of power, hostility, aggression, victimisation and political oppression is vast. It is her sheer determination, belief in her dream for the future of the country and her belief in the rights of the children to freedom from fear that has kept her fighting for the children through death threats and intimidation at the hands of state officials.
Through her work in protecting the children from inadequate service delivery from the Department of Social Development and the South African Police Services, Dianne has made many enemies. The campaign to discredit her by the state officials has been on-going since 2003. The evidence is overwhelming.
The most distressing of the many investigations that Dianne has had to deal with is the latest one by the DSO (Scorpions).
In July 2005, Dianne became aware of an investigation by the Scorpions. Inspector Jenner and Inspector Meyer of the Middelburg SAPS repeatedly interfered and harassed Dianne. She reported them to their superior, Captain Meiring. When he did nothing about them, she then reported them to the Area Commissioner, Le Bok. When he did nothing, she reported it to Selebi. Jenner and Meyer were subsequently reprimanded.
These two policemen then reported Dianne to the Scorpions for allegedly misappropriating donor funds, laundering money, organized crime and many other crimes.
On 6 December 2006 the Scorpions raided and seized all documents including all evidence Dianne had against government officials for abuse of power as well as violation of children's rights. They raided all premises including the auditors without a warrant, destroying most of the computer hard-drives in the process.
The National Scorpions did not know of the investigation until just before the raid.
On 13 May 2008 the auditor was summonsed to the East London offices of the NPA where eight investigators questioned her. She did not have any documents from which to answer their questions. The investigators and prosecutors stated that they had done a forensic audit on the foundation financials only and that there was a question of R200 000 missing and not a million rand missing as previously alleged. The R200 000 is money that was paid out from the foundation account into Dianne's private bank account. The minutes of the trustee meetings verify this and this is also in the Scorpions possession. This money is a refund that was loaned to the foundation by Dianne. The foundation still owes Dianne in excess of R350 000 which is evident from the financial statements. The Scorpions seized all her personal financial statements without a warrant from the auditors, Buckingham & Associates. No forensic audit has been done of these accounts. The auditor states that the Scorpions are determined to charge Dianne, irrespective of the evidence.
This investigation has been on-going for three years. Not only is it putting the children's home at risk due to the DSO investigations into donor funding ensuring that all previous donations have ceased but the unprofessional diabolical way in which the NPA and Scorpions are conducting the investigation by questioning children in the children's home is beyond comprehension.
Dianne is in exile in the UK. If the Scorpions charge her and extradite her to South Africa her life is at risk. Those who have threatened to kill her are still walking free as even the South African Police Service feel that it is not worth the effort to investigate properly because "no one has been murdered yet".
The unsolved crimes committed against Dianne and opened dockets are evidence enough to satisfy anyone of the concentrated, coordinated and concerted effort of certain government officials to shut Dianne up for good.
Dianne has written a book called Saving Mandela's Children which tells the story about her first two years of caring for the children and gives the names, dates and times of what happened. It makes for interesting reading of how the government officials deal with orphaned children in the Eastern Cape.
It is disgraceful that someone who has done so much work for her country and whose DVD on her work is being used by the South African International Marketing Council to promote South Africa is being treated in this manner.
The campaign to discredit her by the state officials has been on-going since 2003. The evidence is overwhelming.
In Dianne's own words:
"I have not taken any money from the foundation and am innocent of any of these alleged charges.
The Scorpion investigation is not about finances or any criminal activities but a culmination or part of a long campaign to discredit me starting in 2004. One investigation has followed another from the Department of Social Development, the Department of Labour, the SAPS and so on. I have lived with death threats, intimidation from state officials and continue to live with threats, the last one from SASSA, a branch of Department of Social Development dated April 2008. Sarah Sephton of the Legal Resource Centre has all the evidence of the latest one. The Public Service Accountability Monitor issued a statement in November 2007 that it is reprehensible that the Department of Social Development continues to wage its own indirect form of abuse through maladministration against the caretakers and children of the Dianne Lang Foundation. The evidence is overwhelming.
When the Scorpion investigation started in June or July 2005 I spoke with Investigating Officer Manuel and told him that I was in possession of a letter from Inspector Jenner of the SAPS where he threatened to report me to all the authorities, explaining the background to what had been happening. I was in contact with Manuel many times before the raid and seizure, also faxing documents pertaining to the oppression and victimisation I was experiencing at the hands of Jenner and Meyer, the two people who informed on me to the Scorpions. Manuel was well aware of what was happening to me from the various state departments from the outset.
Why can't the Scorpions give a set of questions to my attorney so that I can tell them where to find the evidence that I have not stolen any money if they do not understand how to read financial statements as Investigating Officer Manuel admitted to me? This would surely be the fastest way to end this travesty and mockery of justice and fairness.
I would rather sort out this problem before I am charged of an offence that I am innocent of. I also know that if I was charged, we would walk this charge because of the unprofessional conduct and inadequate investigation skills, lies and incompetence's of the DSO, apart from the evidence that I have not taken any money from anyone. This however, would need to be a transparent court case where honest people are involved who do not perjure themselves and with an unbiased, incorruptible judge. I fear this would not be the case in South Africa, given the history of the courts and the campaign I have been subjected to.
I am willing to be charged for any alleged crime and taken to any court outside the jurisdiction of South Africa.
All I want is to be able to live without fear of persecution and oppression. I have only ever loved with all that I am, told the truth and done what is right. I will continue to tell the truth, but I long for the day that I can wake up without fear."