IN QUOTES | Makhosi Khoza tells Zondo commission she was threatened for upholding the law

Makhosi Khoza told the state capture commission on Thursday that the ANC prioritised its unity over the rule of law and threatened anyone who sought to oppose wrongdoing.

Khoza joined the party at 14 years old and resigned in 2017. She was a MP at the time.

Fingered in her testimony were ministers Gwede Mantashe and Fikile Mbalula.

The commission heard how MPs were threatened into keeping former president Jacob Zuma in his position.

She said they were instructed to side with Zuma in the motion of no confidence vote. Anyone who wanted to vote with a conscience, she alleged, was called a “suicide bomber” by Mbalula.

What SAA transformation? 

“Dudu Myeni wanted to replace the white pilots with young black pilots and my understanding of transformation is not necessarily about one's skin pigmentation but its also about quality systems that you put in place and ensuring that the people who get appointed have the key competencies ...

“The ANC felt that I was too vocal on issues that were supposed to be internal issues. I was viewed even by my own colleagues as being anti-transformation.”

Don't agree with the opposition

“A comrade came to me and said, 'We have a problem with you when you start agreeing with Floyd Shivambu. Sometimes we were aligned when it comes to how we were looking at this situation, the financial position of SAA. There was a view that when the opposition is raising something, even if its correct, you have to oppose it.”

An attack on Zuma is an attack on the ANC 

“They were telling us that the ANC is under attack and we need to defend the ANC. We were told that an attack on the position of the president is an attack on the entire organisation. Some of us were feeling strongly that that was not so. To us, it was one man who was the liability to the ANC.”

Forced to vote for Zuma 

“We were instructed to vote in favour of president Zuma's continuation as the president of the republic.” 

Enduring threats for 'voting with her conscience'

“Minister Mbalula threatened the ANC MPs who would be voting with their conscience. He even synonymised them with suicide bombers. At some point he even called by name and said, 'Makhosi is a suicide bomber' because of my commitment to following my conscience.”