Mzwanele Manyi to testify at Zondo commission

Businessman Mzwanele Manyi is on Wednesday expected to return to the commission of inquiry into state capture chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to give testimony relating to The New Age (TNA).

Manyi is accused of favouring TNA and ANN7 and channelling millions from government advertising funds to the two companies formerly owned by the controversial Gupta family.

In 2017, Manyi’s media company took over the Guptas’ TNA and television station ANN7. The two media outlets are now defunct.

The commission is expected to also hear testimony from the former director-general of government communication and information system (GCIS), Themba Maseko, who was replaced by Manyi in 2011 after he was fired for refusing to do the bidding of the Guptas.

Manyi was implicated at the commission by the acting GCIS chief executive Phumla Williams who told Zondo that during the former’s tenure as head of GCIS, the procurement department was allegedly “bullied” into hosting TNA and SABC breakfasts even though these fell outside the GCIS’s scope, which is broadcast and print.

Williams gave testimony at the commission that Manyi allegedly made sweeping changes at GCIS regarding tender processes, insisting that the tender committee report to him.

However, Manyi slammed Williams’s evidence against him at the commission, saying he got rid of corruption which the latter was allegedly a part of.

Meanwhile, former president Jacob Zuma is expected to return to the witness stand at the commission on Monday, November 11 to November 15.

Zuma’s appearance at the Zondo commission was postponed from October 21 to October 25 after the former president’s lawyers indicated that they had to deal with certain matters which arose out of the Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment.

Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, and racketeering. The pre-trial proceedings were postponed to February 4, 2020.

Zuma’s lawyer, Thabani Masuku, told the court at the start of the trial that the former president would appeal.

Zuma will have until November 1 to file papers in the leave to appeal bid.

In a statement on Tuesday, the commission said further dates for Zuma’s testimony would be communicated in due course.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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