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Former SAA board member Yakhe Kwinana testifies before the judicial commission of inquiry regarding the state’s capture on November 2, 2020 in Johannesburg.
- Former South African Airways board member and SAA Technical president Yakhe Kwinana met with OUTA shortly after she left the airline.
- He refused to admit to the Zondo State Capture Investigation Commission that he had accused former SAA president Dudu Myeni of fabricating whistleblower reports.
- Kwinana testified over the weekend after delays that pressured the investigation to complete its work.
Former South African Airways board member and SAA Technical president Yakhe Kwinana on Saturday refused to admit to telling the Organization Against Tax Abuse that Dudu Myeni had fabricated whistleblower reports.
Myeni, who became president of the state airline in 2012, was taken to court by OUTA and the SAA Pilots Association in a protracted case that ultimately declared her a delinquent director.
Kwinana met OUTA shortly after leaving SAA.
On Saturday he was told that during this meeting, he had accused Myeni of fabricating whistleblower reports. Evidence leader Kate Hofmeyr suggested that Kwinana may have done this in an attempt to paint herself in a more positive light and escape being a defendant in the OUTA delinquent director case.
Kwinana denied it.
She told Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo and Hofmeyr that their statements to the OUTA must have been misunderstood, noting that their first language is isiXhosa.
An apparently surprised Zondo told Kwinana that he had had no difficulty understanding her during her testimony.
“Your command of English is very good,” Zondo said.
‘Dudu has his hit list’
Hofmeyr submitted a transcript of the meeting with OUTA. According to the transcript, Kwinana had said:
“One of the reasons I am afraid is that I do not know the powers that are beyond. But the other reason is that it is difficult to present proof. Like, for example, Dudu [Myeni] you have your target list of people you want to remove and bring in your own people.
“We have that and how it operates … How it operates, it will go to the cyber cafe and write down whatever information it knows to be correct and incorrect, and then email it to the SAA informant from the cyber cafe.”
Hofmeyr pointed out to Kwinana that he used the phrase “incorrect information” more than once when describing Myeni’s alleged actions.
Kwinana replied that she did not accept the transcript.
“This OUTA report is edited,” he told Zondo. “Number two, they never told me that they were recording me. Third, they never informed me that this report would be used against me in any forum. Therefore, I do not acknowledge this report.”
Hofmeyr suggested giving the recording to Kwinana, so that he could hire his own transcriptionist. You could then provide an affidavit to the commission with any concerns you had, in case your separate transcript differs.
When asked if verifying the recording would mean that it had not been truthful, Kwinana declined to answer.
