Gigaba reacts to being implicated in state capture report: ‘Zondo hopes this will kill me politically’

Former public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba has reacted to the release of the second part of the state capture inquiry report, saying acting chief justice Raymond Zondo hopes to “kill” him politically.

Part two of the report was handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa this week.

The report found Gigaba knew the controversial Gupta family well and knew their mother, even though he denied this during his testimony at the inquiry.

Taking to Twitter, Gigaba claimed that three years and R1bn later, Zondo had found no evidence to warrant a recommendation that he be charged with corruption.

“Instead of clearing me, he asks that I be investigated more in the hope this will kill me politically. If only he and his handlers knew,” said Gigaba.

Zondo instructed law enforcement agencies to investigate and possibly charge former Transnet executives and Gigaba with corruption and racketeering.

The Transnet executives include former group CEOs Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, former finance heads Anoj Singh and Garry Pita and engineering chief Thamsanqa Jiyane.

The report found the five enabled the Gupta family to loot Transnet during former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure as head of state, covered politically by former minister Gigaba, who also allegedly benefited financially from the Gupta criminal enterprise.

“Three witnesses testified to the commission, essentially to the effect that Mr Molefe, Mr Singh, Mr Gama and Mr Gigaba were recipients of cash bribes from the Gupta enterprise. All three were drivers and close protection officers to these officials,” stated the report.

“It is recommended law-enforcement agencies conduct such further investigations as may be necessary with a view to the possible prosecution of Mr Molefe, Mr Singh, Mr Gigaba, Mr Gama, Mr Pita and Mr Jiyane on charges of corruption and racketeering in relation to cash payments allegedly received by them during visits to the Gupta compound during the period of 2010 to 2018.”