‘Selective and politically motivated': MK Party slams arrest of Molefe, Gama
The two former Transnet executives, along with two co-accused, were arrested on Monday on 18 charges, including contravention of the Public Finance Management Act, fraud, corruption, and contravention of the Companies Act relating to the Transnet locomotive acquisition deal.
The case was postponed to October 6 by the Palm Ridge specialised commercial crime court in Johannesburg for further investigation, and the four were granted bail of R50,000 each.
MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela described the arrests as a 'pattern of selective and politically motivated prosecution' aimed at 'black intellectuals' in the party.
'We reject the notion that these arrests are rooted in a genuine pursuit of justice,' Ndhlela said. 'Instead they are part of a broader, deeply troubling campaign that seeks to intimidate and criminalise black professionals, intellectuals and revolutionaries, particularly those associated with the MK Party.'
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Eyewitness News
5 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
From arrest to conviction? OUTA hopeful Brian Molefe et all will face justice
Sara-Jayne Makwala King 1 July 2025 | 6:46 Transnet Brian Molefe Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit Former Transnet executives (from left to right), Anoj Singh, Brian Molefe, Siyabonga Gama and Thamsanqa Jiyane appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on 30 June 2025 on corruption, fraud and money laundering charges. Picture: Alpha Ramushwana/EWN John Maytham (in for CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit) speaks to Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage about the arrest of Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Thamsanqa Jiyane and Siyabonga Gama. Listen below: From arrest to conviction? Former Transnet CEOs Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama have been released on R50,000 bail after appearing in court on Monday on charges of fraud and corruption. They appeared alongside fellow accused Anoj Singh and Thamsanqa Jiyane in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on charges stemming from their time at the state-owned entity. The arrests were executed by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and relate to a dodgy 2015 tender for hundreds of locomotives. But will this be the case that finally sees public officials brought to justice for corruption? Duvenage is hopeful. "The evidence here is quite strong, and we don't believe, after the few hiccups they've had, that they would be going down this road on a flimsy or weak case." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa "This will have legs, and we are confident that justice will be served." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa The commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture recommended that Molefe, Gama and Singh be investigated for allegedly diverting state funds to the controversial Gupta family. It's understood that a contract to supply the locomotives to Transnet was originally awarded to another company, but this was later cancelled and given to Trillian Capital, which is linked to the Guptas. While the former Transnet execs are claiming their innocence, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) insists there is substantial evidence linking them to the crimes. "The NPA has dropped the ball, due to infiltration, in the past." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa "There are some concerns, but in this case, the prosecutors have done their homework." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.


Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Exclusive: Transnet State Capture Big Four face 32 charges of corruption, fraud and of being delinquent directors
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The charge sheet reveals that the Idac has alleged fraud, corruption and violations of the Public Finance Management Act and the Companies Act against the four, with a trial set to begin in October. Arrested this week, all four are out on bail of R50,000 each and have surrendered their passports. All four pleaded poverty and said they could not afford the original bail request of R200,000 each when they appeared in the Palm Ridge Court on Monday, 30 June. Two, Molefe and Gama, are MPs in former President Jacob Zuma's MK party. The charges brought under a quartet of laws seek to prosecute them from four angles, including dereliction of corporate and constitutional duty (charges under the Public Finance Management Act and the Companies Act) as well as fraud and corruption under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Precca). Here are the numbers of charges each faces, comprising variations of contraventions of the four laws. Anoj Singh (13); Molefe (10); Gama (6); and Jiyane (3). The four are accused of acting in concert (using a common purpose prosecution) to defraud Transnet and are alleged to have benefited through bribes detailed in the charge sheet and also ventilated in hearings at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. It all started in 2011, two years after President Jacob Zuma took office, as State Capture extended its claws into the parastatals Eskom, Transnet and Denel. Also involved were their SA acolytes, the businessmen Salim Essa and Iqbal Meer (who chaired Transnet's acquisitions board committee), and the Gupta family that later installed Molefe as CEO and had Singh and Gama in their pockets, the State Capture inquiry heard. The criminal charges against the four traverse the same ground as the Commission, but it has taken time to formulate the package of charges each now faces. Rolling stock bonanza In 2011, Transnet decided to boost rail freight demand by re-kitting its rolling stock. Over the next four years, the four allegedly conspired to favour the Chinese Rail Corporation (CRC), which was then divided into the China South Rail and China North Rail divisions. Essa earned handsome commissions for putting together this deal, the commission heard. Molefe, for example, was found by the commission to have ensured that the company did not have to meet the BEE conditions required of other suppliers. The Transnet whistle-blower, Francis Callard, detailed to the State Capture commission how the Japanese supplier, Mitsui, was elbowed aside in a series of corporate manoeuvres, and he was often kept in the dark. In 2014, Molefe and Singh signed off on contracts without board or government approval, and soon the costs ballooned from an initial R38.6-billion to R54.5-billion. The charge sheet details how, in each tranche of the three-phase transaction, payments exceeded agreed costs by almost R20-billion. The charge sheet details these as follows: in the first 95 locomotive transactions, a payment of R3.4-billion overshot the approved contract value by R231-million. In the 100-locomotive transaction, a payment of R5.18-billion exceeded the approved value by R348-million. In the big-ticket purchase of 1,064 locomotives, Transnet suffered a prejudice (loss) of R18.7-billion. Transnet is also alleged to have lost an additional R368-million in a botched relocation of an assembly line to Durban. Transnet is being steadily repaired by a combination of a new executive team led by CEO Michelle Philips, the Operation Vula team in the Presidency, and the secondment of seasoned rail and logistics executives from business through the B4SA partnership. However, it remains hobbled because many of the trains at the centre of the State Capture case are not operational, resulting in rail volumes that are significantly lower than they should be to transport the freight company to its desired destination. Between 2012 and 2015, the four are alleged to have benefited from cash and benefits from the Gupta family, including trips to Dubai and cash payments from Saxonwold. The family's mansion complex (3, 5, and 7 Saxonwold Drive) is being auctioned through Park Village Auctions on 24 July. Molefe, Singh, and Gama were also arrested in August 2022 in connection with a R93-million payment to Trillian Capital (a Gupta company run by the flamboyant businessman Eric Wood) for one of the locomotive transactions. That case is scheduled to come to court in February 2026, while the proceedings against the Big Four have been postponed to October 2025. DM

The Herald
13 hours ago
- The Herald
Police probe murder of unidentified man in North End
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