ANC NEC member and former public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba has “stepped aside” from his duties in his political organisation following his recent court appearance over alleged corruption at Transnet during his tenure.
Gigaba was recently charged with corruption linked to controversial multi-billion rand Transnet tenders for locomotives.
Gigaba appeared before the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday along with his co-accused — former Transnet CFO Anoj Singh, former group CEO turned MK Party MP Brian Molefe, former chief procurement officer Thamsanqa Jiyane and Siyabonga Gama.
“The state alleges that during the period that Dr Gigaba was the minister of DPE [department of public enterprises], he on various occasions allegedly accepted and received undisclosed amounts of cash from members of the Gupta family which are corrupt in nature, and which he was not entitled to,” Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) spokesperson Henry Mamothame said.
Some of the companies allegedly scored the contracts after paying kickbacks to companies linked to the Guptas.
During the state capture commission led by former chief justice Raymond Zondo, Gigaba was painted as one of the “Gupta” ministers. He has for years rejected the accusations.
In its move to charge him, Idac links the allegations to his tenure as the minister overseeing state entities at the time.
In a statement on Wednesday the ANC welcomed Gigaba’s decision, describing it as “principled and voluntary, taken without prompting”.
According to the party, his decision reflects the discipline, maturity and revolutionary consciousness expected of cadres of the movement.
“In keeping with the ANC constitution and the resolutions of the 55th national conference, Gigaba has demonstrated respect for organisational processes and acted to protect the integrity and reputation of the movement.
“The 55th national conference reaffirmed that all members formally charged must voluntarily step aside, guided not by compulsion but by an unwavering commitment to accountability, revolutionary morality and the principle that leadership must be beyond reproach.”
The party insisted that this ought not to be received as an “admission of guilt.”
“It is important to emphasise that the ‘step-aside’ does not imply guilt. It is simply a procedural measure to allow the legal process to run its course. Dr Gigaba remains fully confident in the facts, in his integrity, and in the outcome of this process, and he stands ready to resume his duties once it is finalised.”
Gigaba said his move is a testimony of the love and respect he holds for his party, South Africans, the constitution and the laws of the country.
“Leadership requires that we uphold and protect the rule of law, even when doing so demands personal sacrifice. This voluntary step is my contribution to the ANC’s renewal agenda and to safeguarding the moral standing of our movement.”
“The matter before the Idac involves an unproven allegation relating to an alleged “undeserved benefit” (Schedule 1). It is not a procurement-related allegation. To date, no indictment, no procurement alleg ations, and no evidence supporting wrongdoing have been presented against myself.”
Gigaba committed to continue to cooperate fully with the legal process and reiterated his respect for the rule of law and the presumption of innocence.
TimesLIVE
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