Soundbite by Edwin Macrae Bath MP.
• IDT CEO still walks free on full salary 3 months after alleged bribe.
• The DA’s call for urgent update in investigation fell on deaf ears.
• This lack of arrests is a litmus test for Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) reiterates our call for answers towards Acting Minister Firoz Cachalia as to why after three months the police have failed to arrest the suspended IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka for allegedly bribing a journalist. Three months after Malaka was caught on camera allegedly attempting to bribe a journalist, she still walks free on a full salary and faces no disciplinary action.
This brazen act was caught on camera for the whole world to see and both the Minister of Public works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson and Daily Maverick laid charges, yet the police are still dragging their feet in making arrests. The DA remains resolute in our fight to sweep out corruption in all its forms. This includes putting pressure on officials who seemingly do not take swift action when serious allegations are brought to light.
I have written to Minister Cachalia requesting an update on the criminal investigation in September but have not received any feedback on the matter. This silence and inaction are unacceptable and raise urgent questions about whether politically connected individuals are being shielded from accountability.
Malaka was suspended related to separate R836-million oxygen plant tender corruption allegations but remains on full pay. Equally concerning is the fact that her spokesperson Phasha Makgolane who allegedly facilitated the underhanded bribery, is reportedly still on the public payroll.
Minister Macpherson has requested the new IDT Board investigate all contracts issued under Malaka. This lack of arrests and consequence management is a litmus test for Cachalia and the police amid the ongoing commissions investigating undue influence from criminal networks over the police and political networks, and yet astonishingly bribery caught on camera goes unpunished. What message does this send?
The DA will not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet. We will continue to pursue answers, accountability, and ensure that corruption at the IDT is exposed and prosecuted. South Africans deserve a government that protects public funds, not those who abuse them.