Macpherson opens criminal case amid IDT bribery scandal

PUBLIC Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has opened a criminal case at the Cape Town Police Station following shocking allegations of corruption and bribery involving senior officials at the Independent Development Trust (IDT).

- HOPE NTANZI

This follows a video that emerged showing Tebogo Malaka, the suspended IDT CEO, and spokesperson Phasha Makgolane allegedly trying to bribe investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh with R60000 to suppress a corruption exposé.

Addressing the media outside the police station yesterday, Macpherson expressed his deep disgust and disbelief at the blatant corruption, stating, “Watching the video of Ms Malaka allegedly offering Mr Myburgh a bribe of R60 000 made me sick to my stomach and left me in disbelief.

"It's one thing to hear about corruption. It’s another thing to see it take place so blatantly and with a feeling of impunity. This stands in complete opposition to everything that I believe in and stand for as a minister”

Macpherson emphasised the gravity of the situation, describing the alleged bribery attempt as “not just a criminal act but an assault on the institutional framework of government to provide services to the people of South Africa, especially in the social infrastructure space that the IDT is responsible for”

He condemned the attempt to bribe a journalist as “an attack not only on the free press but on our democracy,’ warning that it was designed to “silence accountability, to undermine public confidence, and to shield corruption from exposure.”