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DA lays corruption charges against Bongani Bongo

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John Steenhuisen, chief whip of the Democratic Alliance, addresses the media outside the Cape Town Police Station after opening a case against State Security Minister Bongani Bongo.
John Steenhuisen, chief whip of the Democratic Alliance, addresses the media outside the Cape Town Police Station after opening a case against State Security Minister Bongani Bongo.

Corruption charges have been laid against newly appointed Minister of State Security Bongani Bongo for allegedly attempting to bribe the evidence leader of the parliamentary inquiry into state capture at Eskom‚ Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara.

Speaking outside the Cape Town Police Station on Tuesday, Democratic Alliance Chief Whip John Steenhuisen, who laid the charges, said that Bongo’s actions contravened the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (12 of 2004).

The allegations, Steenhuisen said, “reveal that Bongo offered Advocate Vanara a bribe in exchange for stepping down as evidence leader in the enquiry”.

“These allegations point to a deeply concerning trend at the State Security Agency, and as such, the charges aim to ensure that credibility and the rule of law is restored within the agency,” he added.

He added that it was also a violation of the Executive Members’ Ethics Act and that the party had called on the Public Protector to look into the breach of the act.

Minister of State Security Bongani Bongo. (Jan Gerber, News24)

This weekend, The Sunday Times reported that Bongo had been accused of offering Vanara money to step down from the inquiry.

It reported that the bribe was in the form of a blank cheque.

Vanara submitted an affidavit claiming Bongo asked him to resign from the inquiry to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, who referred the matter to Parliament’s ethics committee.

“We regard this as a very serious allegation and the South African Police Service must investigate it thoroughly.

“We cannot have a situation where ministers of state interfere like this in the work of the legislature.

“We trust these allegations will be taken seriously and investigated fully,” Steenhuisen said.

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