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Cape Town - State Security Minister Bongani Bongo claims he was only following instructions when he attempted to use a bribe in order to try and derail an inquiry into state capture, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.
The Sunday Paper claims it has seen an affidavit by adv. Ntuthuzelo Vanara, the evidence leader in the inquiry, in which he says Bongo claimed he was instructed by acting Eskom board chair Zethembe Khoza to offer a bribe to Vanara.
According to the affidavit, Vanara claims Bongo said Khoza and "people at Eskom" wanted to stop the inquiry to prevent incriminating evidence from being presented about them. They were even afraid of being arrested after such evidence had been led at the inquiry.
Khoza has denied the allegations and a spokesperson told the Sunday Times on behalf of Bongo that he would not deal with the allegations in the affidavit, since parliament is investigating the matter.
Last week Fin24 reported that EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the party believes Bongo has been trying to undermine the state capture inquiry for some time. The party called on for Parliament to act speedily to deal with the matter.
DA chief whip John Steenhuisen also indicated said the party plans on laying corruption charges against Bongo.
On Sunday Steenhuisen said in a statement that the party will write to Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete to demand protection for both members of the portfolio committee on public enterprises currently investigating allegations of state capture at Eskom as well as the witnesses appearing before the inquiry.
"It is clear from recent media reports that those implicated in the illicit activity at Eskom will stop at nothing to hamper the investigation into state capture. It has already emerged that witnesses appearing before this committee are at risk, as evidenced in adv. Ntuthuzelo Vanara’s affidavit in which he alleges that State Security Minister Bongani Bongo attempted to bribe him to step down as evidence leader in the inquiry," Steenhuisen said in a statement.
The DA’s member on the committee, Natasha Mazzone, claims she has recently been followed and her vehicle has been tampered with.
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