Nomachule ‘Norma’ Mngoma had the entire nation tuned into the State Capture Inquiry on Monday evening, as she eloquently dished out the dirt on her estranged husband ex-minister Malusi Gigaba.
State Capture Inquiry: Malusi Gigaba loses bid to halt wife’s testimony
DCJ Raymond Zondo and evidence leader Advocate Anton Myburgh commenced the evening session at 17:30, with Gigaba’s representative Advocate Richard Solomon ready to submit his application to have Mngoma’s testimony stricken off.
Gigaba’s main arguments were:
- Mngoma’s testimony contained highly contestable issues whose credibility could be held into question due to the couple’s ongoing divorce proceedings; and
- her appearance on camera at the state capture proceedings could place her and their children at risk.
Of course, Zondo, whose commission doesn’t operate on the terms of reference of a normal criminal court, dismissed Gigaba’s pleas without providing reasons for his decision.
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Gigaba’s application to cross-examine Mngoma was set aside and Zondo vowed to return to this at a later stage, due to the shortage of time the commission had in forging ahead with hearing testimony from the estranged wife who — since her messy split from the former minister — has been on a revenge tour.
Norma Mngoma reluctantly appears at State Capture Inquiry: Here are the shockers she delivered
The 45-year-old KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) businesswoman was sworn in and as she took her seat, the whole nation leaned closer to the TV screen, waiting with great anticipation, to hear of the ongoings that took place behind the veil.
Numerous attempts were made by Mngoma’s legal representatives, led by Advocate Mpati Qofa, to delay the estranged wife’s testimony due to certain inconsistencies in her original affidavit.
The main gist of it is: Mngoma’s affidavit was transcribed by the commission’s legal team who, for the most part, fumbled with events related to certain dates and times. This, as Mngoma later explained, presented Gigaba with a grand opportunity to blow holes in her story, placing her in a negative light.
Her apprehension was well understood by DCJ Zondo who, at various points, assured her that these corrections would be made in due course and that her supplementary affidavit would still be accepted after her testimony.
To say that Mngoma delivered a whirlwind of shockers that ruptured South Africa’s political arena is an understatement. In a span of two hours on the hot seat, the 45-year-old pieced together a ‘state capture’ network where her husband was a key figure in how state-owned enterprises liaised with Gupta-owned businesses.
Gigaba was a key instrument as Minister of Public Enterprises
The overarching allegation against Gigaba is that he, by former president Jacob Zuma’s design (allegedly), was the architect of the Gupta-led state capture project.
As an insider who shared a bed and a closet of skeletons with the former minister, Mngoma provided a clearer perspective into this claim.
The estranged wife gave Zondo detailed insight into Gigaba’s dealings with the Gupta, from the time she met him in 2009. At the time, Mngoma said, Gigaba would have frequent meetings with persons he described as his ‘advisors’ in Johannesburg.
These meetings would allegedly continue as Gigaba ascended from deputy minister of home affairs to minister of public enterprises in 2011.
By then, they had birthed their first child in June of that year and Gigaba’s absence from such an important event in a couple’s relationship frustrated her.
And so, to bring her peace of mind, Gigaba allegedly arranged for his ‘advisors’ — who would turn out to be Ajay Gupta and his brothers — to be introduced to Mngoma and their newborn.
This is when her first visit to the infamous Saxonworld took place.
Ajay Gupta and the Waterkloof saga
At these Gupta meetings, Mngoma would be cast out to the lounge while her husband and his legal advisor Siyabonga Mahlangu joined the symposium that was held in a nearby room.
Mngoma was cautious about dropping names of other attendees at these meetings. She told Zondo that she recognised certain voices that pierced the room’s walls and identified the fleet of state cars that were parked outside the Gupta residence but could not categorically indicate who was who.
The 45-year-old also confirmed to Zondo that she and her eldest son had, on the eve of the infamous Gupta wedding, travelled to the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Centurion to welcome members of the Indian family.
She was kept in a room while her husband shook hands and rubbed shoulders with the Guptas before they were escorted away in a state-owned fleet.
The couple, according to Mngoma, attended the wedding and planned to spend the night in one of the hotel rooms that were booked for them but things went awry when their appearance at the event made headlines.
Mngoma, who had posted her henna tattoo on Facebook, was quickly rushed out of the hotel by her husband and forced to delete any digital trace of their attendance at the wedding.
How Gigaba’s sisters were bumped into employment
Gigaba’s estranged wife informed the commission that the former minister was close friends with former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama.
In fact, his controversial appointment to head the state-owned railway company was predetermined and she knew about it before it was made official months later.
Gama, according to Mngoma, played a central role in the appointment of Gigaba’s sister, Gugu, at Transnet. The minister’s sister had fallen on hard times and his estranged wife remembers clearly a time when he had stated that he would speak to Gama about opening up a position or Gugu to occupy. Today, Gugu is a project manager at the railway company.
His other sister, Nozipho, whose career was also perilled by bouts of illness, was helped by Gigaba’s connections to the Gupta. Mngoma revealed that after a brief stay at their ministerial home in Pretoria, Nozipho was appointed by Sahara Computers, a renowned Gupta entity.
Gigaba and Dudu Myeni — a love-hate ‘sibling’ rivalry
Another shocker came when Mngoma revealed that, contrary to public perception, her estranged husband and disgraced former chairperson of South African Airways Dudu Myeni were as close as siblings — at first, anyway.
Their working relationship, according to the 45-year-old, grew ever so closer around Gigaba’s tenure as minister of public enterprises.
The two would meet at the Sheraton Hotel, hold talks and soon afterwards, Gigaba would rush to Saxonworld to meet with the Guptas.
As an outsider observing from the sidelines, Mngoma was never privy to the contents of the discussions. However, she knew that it had something to do with certain SOE contracts or the movement of persons in Zuma’s revolving Cabinet.
The pre-honeymoon trip to Mauritius the couple took weeks before their wedding? Well, the entire itinerary was developed by Myeni.
However, things would turn sour when certain decisions made in Gigaba’s absence were relayed to him by Myeni. At times when he would defy this new method of communication, the former SAA chairperson would remind the minister that his position at the coveted public enterprises portfolio was a courtesy that could be taken away if the Guptas deemed it necessary.
As it happens: Ms. Gigaba tells the commission that Ms. Myeni told Mr. Gigaba that if he did not do as he was told, he would go back to the department of home affairs. #StateCaptureInquiry
— State Capture Commission (@StateCaptureCom) April 26, 2021
The million rand cash wedding
At this point, Gigaba may have realised that he was in too deep but the allure of money dangled by the Guptas was hard to ignore. Mngoma told Zondo that she was present as a witness at Saxonworld when Ajay gifted Gigaba with a white BMW. Gigaba never drove it, though, It was Mngoma’s to use but a while later, her estranged husband took it back, claiming he had to send it to a friend to get its lights fixed. It never returned.
Mngoma also revealed that the couple’s wedding carried a gob-smacking estimated cost of R5 million. Every expense was paid for in cash and where did all this money come from? Well, according to Mngoma, she would, on occasion, receive bundles of cash from Gigaba who had reliably informed her that these were monetary gifts from the Guptas.
The estranged wife placed herself as an eyewitness to occasions where Gigaba would collect large sums of cash held in leather bags, from Saxonworld.
She also alleged that Ajay was instrumental in clearing Nozipho’s R850 000 debt.
She says he also told her that Mr. Mahlangu would assist the family with the process to have his sister's name removed from an adverse listing by credit bureaus. #StateCaptureInquiry
— State Capture Commission (@StateCaptureCom) April 26, 2021
A grateful Zondo adjourned proceedings after 22:00 and Mngoma, who aired her disgruntlement with the way she was treated, was allowed to leave.
It remains to be seen if Gigaba will be granted leave to cross-examine his estranged wife.
