One of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s closest confidants, Zizi Kodwa, who is also the minister of sports, arts and culture, is expected to appear in the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday to face charges of corruption.
Minister Zizi Kodwa will appear in court just seven days after the national election, and many political observers believe he was protected all along so that he didn’t have to step aside as per the ANC rule.
The party’s step-aside rule stipulates that any member who is criminally charged and appeared in court must relinquish his position.
Implicated in the State Capture Commission report
Kodwa was implicated during the State Capture Commission, chaired by then Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. It was alleged that he accepted “bribes” totalling about R1.7-million from businessman and former EOH boss Jehan Mackay.
Mackay is also expected to appear in the same court.
Kodwa was Deputy Minister of State Security when he was implicated. But Ramaphosa went ahead and appointed him as the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture despite these revelations.
Allegedly took bribes in exchange for government contracts
Justice Zondo recommended in his report, released in April 2022, that Ramaphosa should consider Kodwa’s then position as deputy minister.
“The commission accordingly recommends that the president considers the position of Mr Kodwa as deputy minister of state security. Having regard to the fact that Mr Kodwa appears to find himself in a position where he is beholden by Mr Jehan Mackay,” Zondo stated in his report.
“Mr Kodwa is beholden by Mr Jehan Mackay, to whom he owes more than R1.7m. On his own version. This is a debt which he cannot immediately repay.”
It was revealed during the commission hearings that Mackay funded Kodwa’s luxury holidays. He also loaned him more than R1.7-million. R1-million was disguised as an “ANC donation” in one of Mackay’s company bank accounts.
Used the money to buy himself a Jeep
Kodwa used R890,000 of the money to buy a Jeep vehicle in June 2015.
Testifying before the commission, Kodwa admitted the payments but claimed they were transactions between “friends” and not a bribe. He said the money was a loan which he had not managed to pay back at the time.
The commission also established that EOH bosses paid R650,000 for Kodwa to stay in an upmarket house in Cape Town in March 2015 and February 2016.
Kodwa was ANC spokesperson and member of the party’s executive committee when he received those payments.
EOH awarded R400m worth of state contracts in return
EOH was awarded more than R400-million in government contracts. These included a deal to upgrade information technology network and security systems for the City of Johannesburg. The information technology company was also awarded a contract to provide software licences for the city.
Mail & Guardian reported weeks ago that investigators from the Independent Directorate were no satisfied with Kodwa’s explanation that the money was a loan. This because “there is evidence, including emails, linking the minister to EOH officials leading up to the alleged bribes”.
“In fact, his involvement in the awarding of the contracts can be proven through email communication between him and the parties (EOH) involved.
“He never expected that there might be an investigation into the contracts, which is why all of them were careless.”
