The Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, said he has signed an affidavit to set aside the controversial R5 billion Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF and Thuja Capital jobs tender deal.
This after Thuja Capital CEO Mthunzi Mdwaba made damning allegations that Nxesi, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande and ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, allegedly demanded a R500 million bribe from him.
The ministers and Mbalula have all denied the allegations and threatened legal action against Mdwaba, who is a former Chair of Productivity SA.
Nxesi dismissed Mdwaba’s allegations describing them as false and unsupported by any actual evidence.
“Let me be clear, I categorically deny these recent allegations of corruption.
You must ask why Mdwaba waited nearly a year to come up with these allegations?
Mdwaba will now have to prove these allegations in a court of law,” said Nxesi during a media briefing in Pretoria.
The minister highlighted that he would file court papers to set aside the controversial jobs deal tender.
He said he was not aware about the deal and only found out about it in the media.
“The media raised several concerns about the process followed and the capacity of Thuja to deliver on the signed agreement.
Today, acting as the Executive Authority of the Department of Employment and Labour, I signed my affidavit, and we are filing a court application to set this agreement aside,” explained the minister.
He added that the application was brought on an urgent basis.
“In that affidavit I challenge Mdwaba to present his evidence in support of his allegations that I have demanded any payment of a corrupt fee in relation to the agreement.
If he cannot produce that evidence, I have asked the Court for an interdict to stop him from promoting his campaign of false and unsupported lies.
I have also requested the President to issue a specific proclamation to have this agreement investigated by law enforcement agencies,” said Nxesi.
The minister said it is surprising that Mdwaba has not approached law enforcement authorities to report the alleged crimes.
He also accused Mdwaba of bitterness towards him, which he said came after the government withdrew its support for his candidature for the position of Director General of the International Labour Organisation.
According to Nxesi, this was withdrawn after it emerged that Mdwaba failed to disclose that the courts had declared him to be a delinquent director.
Mdwaba was not available for comment, and he has in the past said that the deal failed because he refused to pay the R500 million bribe.
