Manyi blasts State Capture Commission for potential Zuma probe

Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi has labelled as “malicious” the Zondo commission’s call for law enforcement agencies to potentially look at charging the former president with corruption and racketeering – again.

In its second report, which was released on Tuesday, the commission recommended a criminal probe into Zuma’s role in the reinstallation of ex-Transnet boss Siyabonga Gama – under whose watch hundreds of millions of
rands are believed to have been pillaged from the parastatal – mere months after he had been axed for misconduct.

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who chaired the commission, found in the report that the “improprieties” associated with Gama’s reinstatement revealed potential attempts by Zuma – as well as former public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba – to influence the Transnet board “through possible inducements”.

He also found they revealed links to the unlawful awarding of tenders to benefit “the Gupta enterprise”.

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And he recommended the country’s law enforcement agencies investigate further, with a view to a possible prosecution on charges of corruption and racketeering.

Manyi on Wednesday insisted Zondo was “clutching at straws” and “just casting aspersions and continuing the narrative without offering concrete evidence”.

“It’s very malicious to say things like this,” he said.

Zondo did, however, in the report, go into great detail about how state capture at Transnet, “began with the resignation of Maria Ramos as group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Transnet in 2009 and the election of Jacob Zuma as president” – with Zuma’s early efforts to replace Ramos with Gama “the first steps taken by [the former president] towards the capture of Transnet by the Guptas with [his] assistance”.

During her testimony before the commission, former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan told how Zuma had refused to accept the board’s recommendation that Sipho Maseko replace Ramos and insisted that Gama – then the chief executive of Transnet Freight Rail – be appointed instead.

Gama was at the time facing disciplinary proceedings over allegations of misconduct and the board had not considered him suitable for the position. But Hogan said Zuma was unbudging and moved to halt all new appointments until the disciplinary proceedings were concluded.

Gama was eventually found guilty and dismissed, after which Hogan moved to once again begin the search for a new GCEO. She was, however, promptly removed from her position and replaced with Gigaba, under whose watch Gama was ultimately reinstated. Zuma during his testimony before the commission insisted he had no preferred candidate for the post but Zondo, in the report, rejected this “as a complete fabrication”.

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“Why then was Mr Maseko not appointed?” Zondo said.

Gama’s appointment was at the time also supported by then ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe who, during his turn in the hot seat, testified that was supporting “black excellence”. But he, too, found himself in the firing line of Zondo’s report, with the chair not buying his story.

“Mr Mantashe’s account is accordingly implausible and inconsistent with the facts. Mr Gama never competed against a white candidate,” Zondo said.

In his recommendations, Zondo further specified he wanted the law enforcement agencies “to determine whether the reinstatement of Mr Gama as CEO of [Transnet Freight Rail] at the instance of Mr Zuma, Mr Gigaba and [former Transnet board chair] Mr [Mafika] Mkwanazi constituted an improper inducement to Mr Gama to do anything, thus amounting to corruption”.