How I ended up with R60,000

Daily Maverick journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh says he had a hunch that 'something nefarious' was afoot before his meeting with the suspended Independent Development Trust CEO and her spokesperson - who went on to offer him a wad of cash to suppress a continuing journalistic investigation. By Victoria O'Regan

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Victoria O’Regan: How did you get into investigative journalism?

Pieter-Louis Myburgh: I studied journalism, and I think around that time already I was quite interested in investigative journalism, specifically. I read All the President’s Men [Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's nonfiction book detailing how they investigated and uncovered the Watergate scandal in the US, ultimately leading to President Richard Nixon's resignation].

It has always been a favourite read of mine, and at that point it was the most well-known example of really consequential, hard-hitting investigative journalism. I’ve always been inspired by the impact one can achieve through investigative journalism.

VO: How did this specific investigation into the Independent Development Trust (IDT) begin?

PLM: It started with the oxygen plants scandal. [A forensic investigation revealed that a shadowy company secured more than half of an IDT R836-million hospital oxygen plant tender during Covid-19, and governance failures at the IDT led to the CEO’s suspension.] A source contacted me in mid-2024, telling me to have a look at this massive contract. It just grew from there. I got some documents relating to the contract, and also found out that the main contractor wasn’t equipped to deliver that equipment and didn’t have the necessary Sahpra [South African Health Products Regulatory Authority] accreditation.

VO: How did you get the first tip-off?

PLM: I can’t go into that much detail, but it goes back to my work on Digital Vibes. [The Digital Vibes scandal involved a politically connected communications firm siphoning off millions meant for public health during Covid-19.] So, seeing as Digital Vibes was a Health Department exposé, I do have some sources in that environment. It was somebody from that environment who told me to look at those oxygen plants, because the oxygen plants thing was a collaboration between the Health Department and the IDT.