Johannesburg – The first part of three State Capture Report that has been released publicly by President Cyril Ramaphosa a few hours after it was handed to him by the Commission Chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo has an explosive revelation.
In the report, it stated that the secretary of the Commission has already laid a criminal complaint against the defiant former chairperson of South African Airways, Dudu Myeni, for disclosing the identity of one of the witnesses, whom the Commission had referred to him as Mr. X during her testimony.
Zondo said told the secretary that this matter needed to be brought to finality by the law enforcement agencies and the National Prosecuting Authority, referring to the fact that Myeni had defied all odds when she named the witness by the name, which also had risked the witness’s life to be at risk.
In November 2020, Myeni shocked the state capture commission when she explicitly revealed the identity of Mr. X.
The defiant Myeni who is also a chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation and a former chairperson of Mhlathuze Water decided to disregard the confidential clause of the commission to not reveal the identity of the witness.
During his testimony early in 2020, Mr. X told the commission that his company had been used by one of Myeni’s son Thalente’s firms to deposit R3 million, and Myeni would demand that cash be withdrawn from Mr. X’s company’s account to be delivered to her.
At that time of Myeni’s dramatic name dropping of Mr. X, the stunned chairperson said to the controversial politically connected Myeni that he in control of the proceedings at the commission.
“I give you an opportunity to say something and I give everybody an opportunity to say something,” said Justice Zondo in November 2020. At this stage, I want to say if there is an order that I have made it needs to be respected. When we come back, I will hear what you have to say, I’ve got to reflect about what you have just done”.
Myeni had insisted at the time that there was no reason for her to hide the identity of Mr. X as he was family and her brother.
Mr X’s evidence also had the evidence of further detailed investigation and possible charges of corruption being laid against all the individuals involved in the scheme to securing millions of rands for the personal benefit of Myeni and the Jacob Zuma Foundation.
The report of the Commission recommends that the NPA should consider further investigation as may be considered necessary, whether Myeni should be prosecuted for fraud as well.
The report stated that LSG SkyChefs, Myeni asth well as the former SAA Technical board chair and SAA board member Yakhe Kwinana had displayed a wanton disregard for the best interests of SAA in their decision-making on the lounge catering contract, as the State Capture Report stated that Myeni and Kwinana had acted in gross disregard of their fiduciary duties to SAA when they took this decision.
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Also read: Thuli Madonsela on State Capture Inquiry
Zondo gives whistleblower Athol Williams a glowing tribute
Read part one of the state capture report here
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