Former Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba took the opportunity to toss his estranged wife Norma Mngoma under the bus at his State Capture Inquiry appearance, on Thursday.
The gist of Gigaba’s testimony on state capture
Gigaba’s showing at the Zondo commission had millions of South Africans glued to their screens, in anticipation of a fiery testimony and sure enough, the alleged central figure of the Gupta-led state capture project delivered.
In a previous appearance by his estranged wife, Gigaba was labelled as the centrepiece of all the moving parts of the state capture project.
He allegedly oversaw the hijacking of state-owned entities during his tenure as Public Enterprises Minister. He allegedly paved way for the Guptas to obtain naturalised citizenship in South Africa and according to Mngoma, his sisters were launched into prominent positions, thanks to his influence.
In response to all of these allegations, Gigaba simply denied everything categorically.
Here are some highlights on Gigaba’s testimony on state capture:
Five gobsmackers he delivered on Norma Mngoma
Of particular interest to South Africans were the things Gigaba said about his wife. It’s no secret that the unbundling of his marriage to the businesswoman has been nothing short of dramatic.
From criminal cases filed against each other to publicised character assassinations attempted on both ends, there is clearly no love lost between the former lovers.
If anything, Gigaba’s utterances about Mngoma’s character proved that any thought of the two ever mending things was completely off the table.
Here are five shocking claims Gigaba made about Mngoma:
She is an accomplished liar
His demeanour as calm as can be, Gigaba explained to DCJ Raymond Zondo that his time may have been wasted with capturing Mngoma’s testimony since, in his opinion, it was all one big ‘sophisticated’ lie.
She used state capture to leverage divorce negotiations
Gigaba explained that contrary to the inquiry’s beliefs, he and Mngoma have been in contact on a number of occasions, behind the scenes. The former Home Affairs minister claimed that Mngoma had, prior to her public smearing campaign, handed Gigaba an ultimatum: Finalise the divorce and reach a favourable settlement or she’d spill the beans.
Except, according to the minister, anyway, none of what she poured out to the inquiry was soluble. Gigaba went as far as stating that Mngoma’s hesitance in appearing before the commission had a lot to do with her trying to negotiate a favourable divorce settlement, than anything else.
“I told her that the commission didn’t just pick on her. She did an interview on eNCA and offered herself to the commission,” he said.
Her State Capture Inquiry testimony was coached
Gigaba informed DCJ Zondo that Mngoma’s affidavit was not written by her. He was adamant that his estranged wife must have been coached by an unknown figure with ulterior motives.
She lied about Waterkloof Airbase
Regarding the notorious Waterkloof Airbase landing which, according to Mngoma, Gigaba was very much apart of, the former minister totally denied this.
“I was never at Waterkloof to receive them. I saw it on TV like everyone else. I was aghast like everyone else. Why is she telling such lies?” Gigaba said.
She made up claims about his ‘frequent’ Saxonworld visits
The only part of his estranged wife’s testimony Gigaba concurred with concerned his visits to Saxonworld. Gigaba admitted that he has, on multiple occasions, been to the infamous Gupta compound.
He even nodded at the fact that he and Ajay Gupta had a personal relationship. After all, he did receive gifts from the Indian businessman, including a gold necklace Gupta purchased for one of his sons.
However, Gigaba categorically denied that he made scheduled visits to the compound before and after crucial Parliamentary meetings.
Gigaba left the hot seat with his defence in tact. He was, in his view, never part of the sinking ship. Much like the rest of South Africa, he was taken aback by the corruption that took place under his nose.
At this time, it’s unclear if the former minister will return to the commission. On Friday, the inquiry was scheduled to hear Transnet-related evidence.