uMkhonto weSizwe party has raised concern about the arrest of two of its members of parliament on corruption charges. Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama handed themselves over on Monday morning and were released on bail (R50 000 each) following an appearance at the Palm ridge Magistrate Court.
The charges against the two stem from a locomotive deal of just under a million rand entered into by Transnet which they served as chief executives on different periods.
The two were implicated in alleged wrongdoing at the state capture commission and had been out of the public space until their recent deployment to parliament by the newly formed party. MKP said in a statement the two’s arrest is part of retaliation by the government of the day which it accuses of not wanting to be held accountable.
“Whilst we affirm the principle that the law must be applied without fear of favour, we remain deeply concerned by what appears to be an uneven application of justice. As a party, we have consistently called for accountability and transparency, including within the structures of the NPA itself.It is increasingly evident that when Mkondos is a party who holds institutions to account, particularly those captured or influenced by narrow political interests, there is a troubling pattern of retaliation,” said MKP National Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela in a statement.
The charges stem from a 2015 tender for the procurement of 1,064 locomotives, valued at over R54 billion, involving allegations of contravening the Public Finance Management Act, fraud, corruption, and money laundering.
Gupta-linked entities like Regiments Capital and Trillian Asset Management are implicated, with payments such as R93.4 million to Trillian and R305 million in escalated contract values under scrutiny.
The two are not the only former executives of state owned entities who have faced criminal cases linked to their tenure in the SOEs. Matshela Koko who also served as Chief Executive at Eskom was arrested after being implicated at the Zondo Commission but the National Prosecuting Authority has so far failed to present a concrete case against him leading to criticism of the prosecuting authority.
Ndlela said MKP believes black professionals are being targeted for victimisation.
“We are also particularly alarmed at what appears to be a targeted campaign against Black professionals and intellectuals, especially those affiliated with the party, who once served in strategic roles within state-owned enterprises such as Transnet. These developments are remnants of unfair treatment as experienced by our president, as widely known, who has yet to receive a legal process grounded in fairness and constitutional justice.
“We trust that the legal process in these cases will be free from any political interference and will uphold the fundamental rights of individuals that in this case are Mr Gama and Mr Mulefa. As MK Party, we will continue to call for a truly impartial justice system and stand firm against any attempts to undermine the democratic will of all,” he said.
Molefe and Gama have told the court there’s no strong case against them and indicated they intend pleading not guilty.