Former minister Malusi Gigaba appears in court as Transnet corruption probe advances

FORMER public enterprises minister, Dr Malusi Gigaba, who also serves as co-chair of Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Defence, appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court yesterday facing a charge of corruption.

- JONISAYI MAROMO [e-mail]

Gigaba, an ANC Member of Parliament, faces corruption charges relating to three Transnet contracts he signed during his tenure as public enterprises minister. Authorities are investigating wide-scale corruption in Transnet SOC Ltd's multi-billion-rand locomotive procurement deal.

Earlier this month, IOL reported that Gigaba visited the offices of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) in Lynnwood, Pretoria East. At that time IDAC confirmed he had not been placed under arrest, and that there would be no court appearance that day.

The visit marked a further step in the National Prosecuting Authority's efforts to investigate individuals implicated in large-scale state-capture era corruption involving state-owned entities.