Dudu Myeni ‘Mr X’ outing case postponed to May

Former South African Airways chair Dudu Myeni made her first appearance in the dock of the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, on charges of defeating the administration of justice.

In November 2020, Myeni revealed what she claimed was the identity of a protected witness – “Mr X” – live on camera, while testifying before the State Capture Commission of Inquiry.

And despite a warning from commision chair and now new Chief Justice Raymond Zondo not to repeat it, she did.

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Later that month, Zondo announced the commission was opening a criminal case against Myeni.

He said the commission wanted the police to investigate a possible contravention of either the commission’s regulations – which empower Zondo to direct a witness’s identity be protected, or the Commission’s Act – which makes anyone who “wilfully hinders or obstructs” the commission’s performance, guilty of an offence.

Now, 16 months later, Myeni has officially been charged with defeating the administration of justice, or alternatively either contravening the act or the regulations.

She was served with a summons to appear in court early this month and appeared briefly on Tuesday morning.

The case was postponed to May for the state to consider various representations made by Myeni’s legal team earlier this week.

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More charges pending?

Myeni could face more criminal charges soon, after trade union Solidarity announced on Monday it would be laying charges against her and 19 other people allegedly involved in state capture.

This includes former Transet and Eskom head Brian Molefe, former chairperson of Denel, Daniel Mantsha, former President Jacob Zuma, and the former chief executive of Denel, Zwelakhe Ntsepe.

Solidarity said it would file charges of corruption, theft, fraud and mismanagement of state funds against the accused at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“All the accused in the Solidarity docket had been involved, at least on a prima facie basis, in criminal activities,” said Solidarity chief executive Dr Dirk Hermann.

Additional reporting by Kgomotso Phooko.