'What circus is this, really?': Andile Mngxitama fumes after being implicated at Zondo commission

An unnamed witness, an operative of the State Security Agency (SSA), is expected to implicate Mngxitama in corruption, fraud and money laundering

12 January 2021 - 16:13 By mawande amashabalala
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Andile Mngxitama is fuming after the state capture inquiry notified him that he has been implicated for alleged corruption, fraud and money laundering. File photo.
Andile Mngxitama is fuming after the state capture inquiry notified him that he has been implicated for alleged corruption, fraud and money laundering. File photo.
Image: Masi Losi

Outspoken Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama has come out guns blazing against the state capture inquiry, accusing it of “wasting R1bn” and giving attention to “agents of lies”.

This after the commission last week sent to Mngxitama a Rule 3.3 notice informing him that he is going to be implicated by an anonymous witness who was billed to give testimony late this month. The notice is issued to those who are to be implicated by a witness, informing them that they will be implicated.

The witness, an operative of the State Security Agency (SSA), is expected to tell the commission of alleged acts of corruption, fraud and money laundering, among other things, in which Mngxitama is allegedly involved.

Mngxitama said this was “laughable” because he had never engaged in any illegality. According to him, the commission was clutching at straws in an attempt to smear anyone associated with former president Jacob Zuma.

This was why he believes that the commission “has lost direction”, as its sole mission was “only to tarnish reputations of political players who are opponents of white monopoly capital”.

At this rate, charged Mngxitama, the commission was “relying on agents of lies who manufacture evidence to deceive”.

He said he would attend the hearing of the witness — named “Mr Y” — later this month and would defend himself “by any means necessary”.

“The commission is now relying completely on agents of lies and manufacturers of evidence to deceive,” said Mngxitama. “We are now implicated by faceless witnesses. Why would one have to hide their identity if they stand for the truth. What circus is this, really?”

Mngxitama said he would apply to cross-examine the witness.

“But my general attitude is that the Zondo commission is an embarrassment of a political tool which is on a crusade against everyone they perceive to be on the RET [radical economic transformation] side of the political divide in this country,” he said.

“This is not about corruption; it is all political and quite frankly it is shocking how low the commission has gone in discrediting itself after wasting R1bn.”

If the commission was interested in corruption, he said, it would start investigating evidence he presented to it two years ago.

“Two years ago, as the BLF, we laid a complaint against Pravin Gordhan, implicating him. They gave us a date saying they will call him up but they never did.

“When are they calling the Oppenheimers, who have their own private terminal at OR Tambo International Airport, which they acquired in an openly corrupt way? Also none of the main corrupt players are being harassed by this commission, but we are said to be implicated by faceless agents.”

Mr Y will testify at the inquiry on January 25 and 29.

“Due to the fact that you are implicated, or may be implicated, by the evidence of Mr Y, you are entitled to attend the hearing at which that evidence will be presented,” wrote commission secretary Prof Itumeleng Mosala in the notice to Mngxitama.

“You are also entitled to be represented by a legal representative of your choice when the evidence is presented.”

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