Johannesburg – Aeons ago when I was a cub reporter, I had the pleasure of meeting my first multi-millionaire.
Sean Summers, then CEO of Pick n Pay, was caught speeding in his Ferrari on his way to OR Tambo International Airport.
I was assigned to his court case, where he paid a hefty fine.
I sat him down afterwards to put meat on my story and he obliged with some titbits.
I was awed by his annual salary of R8.5-million and, when I pointed out that he must be stinking rich, he retorted that wealth was relative.
He pointed out that I, an impoverished newshound chasing stories, must be the envy of many in my community for holding a job at a national newspaper.
Indeed, many people see journalism as a glamourous job, where we rub shoulders with the movers and shakers.
Of course, sometimes we have to inhale teargas and run away from mobs during protests.
Other times we have to interview grief-stricken families and obnoxious politicians.
But I digress.
The millionaire was right.
Summers’ words rang in my ears last week when Nomachule Mngoma, the wife of former minister Malusi Gigaba, spilled the beans on him before the Zondo Commission.
Mngoma upset many people when she testified that the R3 000 allowance Gigabytes gave her was a pittance.
Gigaba himself was at pains to point out to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that R3k would make a huge difference in many households.
He has refuted claims that he carried money bags every time he emerged from the infamous Gupta mansion in Saxonwold.
Known for his snappy dress sense, he claimed he bought clothes on discount and instalments from his friend’s boutiques.
Mngoma told the commission that Gigaba owned hundreds of designer suits, which he bought with the cash from the fugitive family from Saharanpur in India.
He claimed his ministerial salary was sufficient to feed his penchant for high fashion. Gigaba felt insulted that the memory of his late moruti (reverend) father was being desecrated by Mngoma’s testimony that he could not afford to extend the family home.
Mngoma’s jibe about the R3 000 was consistent with her previous social media posts where she would brag about paying R15 000 for a pair of sneakers.
When called out, she would point out that she had her own hustle and could afford expensive trinkets.
Zondo has his work cut out to decide who of the two is telling the truth. In a country with the widest inequality in the world, R3 000 is indeed money many would kill for.
Gigaba also claimed that Mngoma sang like a canary to hold out for a bigger divorce settlement.
If you’ve ever been at the maintenance courts, you will see many mothers with babies on their backs struggling to get a pittance from deadbeat fathers to raise their children.
The Gigabytes and their drama would make for a smashing TV series.
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