ANC national executive committee member and former public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba has “stepped aside” from his duties in his political organisation after his recent court appearance over alleged corruption at Transnet during his erstwhile tenure.
Gigaba was recently charged with corruption linked to controversial multibillion-rand Transnet tenders for locomotives.
He appeared before the Palm Ridge specialised commercial crime court on Tuesday along with his co-accused: former Transnet CFO Anoj Singh, former Transnet group CEO-turned-MK party MP Brian Molefe, former Transnet chief procurement officer Thamsanqa Jiyane and Siyabonga Gama.
“The state alleges that, during the period that Dr Gigaba was the minister of DPE [the 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 that won the tenders allegedly scored the big 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.
The ANC issued a statement on Wednesday welcoming Gigaba’s decision, describing it as “principled and voluntary, taken without prompting”.
“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 should not to be viewed 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: “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.”
He said it followed discussions triggered by the legal proceedings on November 18.
“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 allegations and no evidence supporting wrongdoing have been presented against myself.”
Gigaba said he would continue to co-operate fully duringthe legal process and reiterated his respect for the rule of law and the presumption of innocence.
