The businesswoman "Tchizé" dos Santos, daughter of the former Angolan president, said that she learned about the asset investigation targeting her companies in Angola through social networks, speaking of a distraction maneuver to "hush up" the suspicions involving the higher courts.

Speaking to Lusa after it was reported that the Angolan justice system had issued letters to all condominiums located in Luanda, requesting information on properties registered in the name of various companies, including some owned by Welwítschia José dos Santos "Tchizé" and her brother "Coreón Dú", the businesswoman said she had learned about the investigation via social media.

The daughter of former president José Eduardo dos Santos also said that none of her companies have properties in Luanda and that she is not currently part of the management of any of them.

At issue are Westside Investments and Semba Comunicações, which managed channel 2 of Angola's Public Television (TPA) until the television channel's management terminated the contract in 2018, after José Eduardo dos Santos (who died last year) left the presidency of the country he ruled for 38 years to his successor, João Lourenço.

According to TPA, the annual payments to Westside/Semba exceeded 17 million dollars and the - private - companies enjoyed modern studios equipped with the best technology at no cost, adding that the television station always assumed its obligations, despite the "leonine and abusive nature of the contracts in question".

"Tchizé" dos Santos said that Westside has been "practically out of business since President João Lourenço ordered the removal from the air" of its Vida TV channel and lamented that it was "unable to work in the Angolan market" because it was "critical" of João Lourenço.

"A new channel is now operating in the old Vida TV premises, with a large number of former Vida TV workers, but without me. That explains a lot," said "Tchizé" dos Santos, adding: "There is proven political persecution of me."

The businesswoman also said that the companies and projects she launched "have value as brands" and complained that the Angolan government had tried to plagiarize the "Angola 35 degrees Awards", which are now organized in a "secretive and almost clandestine manner" to avoid boycotts.

"Winners and even presenters have been pressured not to show up to receive the awards or present the ceremony," he told Lusa, insisting that there is "a determination" to destroy their reputation and good name.

"I think this is all a distraction to cover up the scandals of the Supreme Court judge and the Court of Auditors judge, which also leads many people to wonder about the fairness of the Constitutional Court judge, who was sworn in without the vote recount requested by the opposition," he suggested.

Asked about her current income, "Tchizé" dos Santos replied that she has a restaurant and beauty business and that she dedicates herself to the Tea Club social project, "because President João Lourenço has destroyed everything else", and that she also rents out houses in Luanda "to foreign citizens".

According to "Tchizé", her Tea Club project for micro-entrepreneurs, with bakery and pastry courses for women, has also been boycotted, complaining that participants have even been expelled from a workshop and the premises padlocked.

"They said it was because it belonged to 'Tchizé' dos Santos. This was said by the administrator Tany Narciso, leader of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola [MPLA] and responsible for the market where the volunteer had the space," lamented the former MPLA MP, the party that has ruled Angola since independence in 1975.

The daughter of the former president said that she is "banned from Angola", stressing that she can't deal with anything "related to Angola or Angolan offices", and has made "brutal losses" in some of her activities.

"I don't know what I did to him to make him persecute me, except for being José Eduardo dos Santos' daughter. And I conclude this from the other people who say they are being persecuted by João Lourenço, with whom I share the same father!" said "Tchizé", in an allusion to her sister Isabel dos Santos, the target of various legal proceedings in Angola and other jurisdictions, including Portugal.

"Tchizé" dos Santos also considered the destruction of the careers of the country's best cadres for political reasons to be "very sad", and told Lusa about "all the persecution" after her father's death, "the fight for the body, the sordid funeral", saying she was trying to "continue to show the beautiful side of just being alive".

Last year, José Eduardo dos Santos' eldest children fought an arm-wrestle with his widow, Ana Paula dos Santos, and his younger children, supported by the Angolan government, which wanted to transport the body of the former president (who died in Spain) to Luanda and hold a state funeral.