Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson said he suspects a wider network of corruption within the Independent Development Trust (IDT) if a bribery attempt video is anything to go by.
Macpherson has on Thursday opened a criminal complaint against the trust’s CEO, Tebogo Malaka, for corruption and bribery.
This follows a bombshell video released by the Daily Maverick, the publication that first exposed suspected corruption in hospital oxygen supply tenders.
Dean Macpherson
He’s now instructed the IDT board to investigate all contracts that Malaka may have been involved in.
Last week, a forensic investigation recommended her suspension in connection with the irregular award of the R800 million oxygen tenders.
Besides being offered a cash bribe to kill upcoming stories linked to the IDT, Daily Maverick journalist Pieter Louis-Myburgh was also offered the option of nominating a preferred contractor for new tenders his connections may be interested in.
Macpherson said this indicates that the rot at the IDT is extensive.
He’s now ordered the board to investigate all contracts awarded during the tenure of suspended CEO Malaka.
“To trace the flow of funds linked to these contracts, to identify any additional instances of corruption and abuse, and then to take immediate action against anyone found to be complicit.”
Macpherson said while he’s been falsely accused of co-opting journalists to report negatively about the IDT, the Daily Maverick video points to the opposite.
“It’s my considered opinion that this attempt to buy cooperation is not an isolated incident. It quite possibly extends to unimaginable spaces and individuals.”
Macpherson said he’s asked the police to investigate a possible broader web of bribery and corruption linked to Malaka and spokesperson Phasha Makgolane.
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