Imogen Mashazi has a taste for flying private, going as far as boarding a private jet for a flight from Johannesburg to Durban and a 45-minute hop to Maseru.
The R1.2m price tag of these flights are seemingly not a factor, as evidence seen by Sunday Times show that the trips to Durban and Lesotho were paid for by service providers who were apparently hoping to cash in on the multibillion-rand looting frenzy at Ekurhuleni Municipality.
The disgraced former city manager has been grilled at the Madlanga commission in recent months over her R3.5m trip to London in July
2022, which was paid for by XET Solutions – a company that was awarded lucrative Ekurhuleni contracts.
The Sunday Times can reveal that Mashazi was a guest on at least two other flights in private jets, one from Johannesburg to Durban in December 2023 and another from Johannesburg to Maseru the next month.
The total cost came to about R1.2m.
Documents, and payment and immigration records show tenderpreneur Pasugen Govender bankrolled the charter flights.
Govender has links to Umkhonto Professional Services — a company that in June 2022 secured a place on an Ekurhuleni professional services panel. He footed the entire bill for a Dassault Falcon 900 operated by Zenith Air, arranged by private aviation broker Onyx Aviation.
The 45-minute hop to Maseru cost about R789,000 and the Durban excursion about R500,000.
Evidence seen by the Sunday Times shows Govender personally paid for the Durban trip, while the bill for the Maseru flight was settled through Saif Solar, a front company that does not appear to be trading.
- Read the full story here.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.