Myeni spotted ‘sipping wine’ on day she was too sick to travel

According to a report in Sunday paper City Press, controversial former SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni was having late-night hotel meetings and drinking wine on Wednesday.

Earlier that day, she had told parliament she was too sick to fly to Cape Town to face questions about her alleged interference at Eskom. It was the second time she snubbed parliament to avoid questions about her alleged role in state capture.

The chairperson of the Eskom inquiry said that they had not received a doctor’s note from her explaining what condition ailed her. She had instead merely sent an SMS.

The paper reports that they spotted her that night at the four-star Garden Court hotel in Hatfield, Pretoria, with a male companion. She was sipping “what appeared to be wine out of a wine glass”. Her Mercedes SUV was parked outside.

Most medical professionals advise against consuming alcohol when you’re sick.

Hotel staff confirmed that she was a guest at the hotel.

Myeni told the paper that she was not expecting their calls and was still afflicted.

“Do you want me to send you the letter that I am sick?” she reportedly said.

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba must also have fallen very suddenly ill on Wednesday, as at least one reliable source tweeted that they saw him that morning looking healthy.

The minister skipped a Q&A session in parliament later in the day, offering an unsigned sick note. His absence caused such a stir that the EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Floyd Shivambu were kicked out of the National Assembly after Ndlozi accused Gigaba of being a pathological liar and refused to withdraw the comment, pointing out that the high court had also found Gigaba had lied under oath.

Long-time journalist and author Babalo Ndenze tweeted on Wednesday that he had seen Gigaba with a parliamentary colleague that morning looking “very well”.