Lungani Zungu
Brain Molefe, once tipped to become South Africa’s finance minister, could now end up in a jail cell for a long time.
Molefe appeared at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Monday morning.
At one stage, Molefe was a powerful man who had the backing of former president Jacob Zuma. But he now finds himself in the grip of crime-busting agencies.
Molefe, the former group chief executive of Transnet and former CEO of Eskom, stood in the dock alongside former Transnet chief financial officer Anoj Singh and Regiments Capital directors Niven Pillay and Litha Nyhonhya.
The four face serious charges of contravention of the Public Finance Management Act, fraud, corruption and money laundering.
The case concerns a controversial R93 million for a deal to buy 1,064 locomotives during Molefe’s tenure as head of Transnet from 2011 to 2015.
The four were released on R50,000 bail each.
Their arrest is the result of four years of evidence from more than 300 witnesses questioned by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who chaired the state capture commission of inquiry, which is now yielding results.
The Hawks, Independent Directorate and the National Prosecuting Authority painstakingly scrutinised piles of evidence submitted at the commission about how state-owned enterprises were captured.
Molefe and the three others join the former group chief executive of Transnet Siyabonga Gama, former group chief financial officer Garry Pita, and former group treasurer Phetolo Ramosebudi, who were arrested in July for fraud.
Also in the firing line was the Regiments shareholder Eric Wood, the Gupta-linked Trillian Asset Management current director Daniel Roy and owner of Albatime Pty Ltd Kuben Moodley.
Bail conditions required they hand in their passports.
The state is also hunting down well-known Gupta associates Salim Essa and Ashok Narayan. Warrants of arrest have been issued.
Molefe and the other three accused are expected back in court on 14 October.
Head of the Independent Directorate, Advocate Andrea Johnson, said: “Transnet is considered one of the primary sites of massive looting of state funds at the peak of the state capture project.”
She said more arrests would be made.
