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By Loyiso Sidimba 
13h ago
Following explosive revelations of interference in the affairs of South Africa’s rail transport company by some of the country’s highest-ranking politicians, Christopher Todd, director of the Bowman Gilfillan law firm, will continue to provide evidence related to Transnet in the commission of inquiry into the state capture accusations today.
On Wednesday, the Zondo commission heard that then-president Jacob Zuma and Public Business Minister Malusi Gigaba had pressured Transnet to reinstate the fired CEO Siyabonga Gama at one of its subsidiaries.
Evidence heard at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry about the state capture revealed that this was despite Gama’s failure to challenge his dismissal for awarding bids in an irregular manner in the Transnet Negotiation Council and in his attempt to have the South Gauteng Superior Court will declare that only the entire Transnet The board could make the decisions to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him or to authorize his suspension.
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Siyabulela Mapoma, former CEO of group legal services at Transnet Group Capital, told the commission chaired by Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo that Transnet’s then acting CEO Mafika Mkhwanazi informed her that he was acting on instructions from the Presidency to reinstate Gama as Transnet Freight Rail. (TFR) executive director.
“He also received instructions from elsewhere to reintegrate Gama,” Mapoma said, adding that Mkhwanazi notified him of the pressure he was under to reintegrate.
Mapoma continued: “He (Mkhwanazi) said that the instruction was from higher up, higher than the minister (Gigaba).”
However, according to Mapoma, Gama was not prepared to return to his position as CEO of TFR, but wanted to become CEO of Transnet and replace María Ramos, who had left the position in February 2009.
Mapoma said that Mkhwanazi asked him to help him bring Gama back.
“I think he had the approval of the board to reinstate Gama. I wanted to do this cleanly in light of the fact that Gama had been fired, ”he said.
According to Mapoma, Gama wanted to be reinstated as CEO of Transnet, but Mkhwanazi refused.
Instead, Mkhwanazi was proposing that Gama be reinstated as TFR’s CEO and also offered to appoint him a group executive in the president’s office, which he also held at the time.
Mapoma testified that Gigaba’s former special adviser Siyabonga Mahlangu called him twice, accusing Transnet of delaying Gama’s reinstatement, and blamed him.
He said Mahlangu told him to make sure “this” (Gama’s reinstatement) was expedited.
“I was very severe. I told him that he did not have to answer to him, Gigaba and the president, ”Mapoma said, adding that he directed Mahlangu to speak to Mkhwanazi.
Mahlangu indicated to Mapoma that there were concerns about Gigaba and Zuma’s delay, according to the investigation.
Mapoma said Mahlangu did not mention Zuma by name, but it was clear that he was referring to the former president.
“He was referring to ‘number one,’” Mapoma recalled Mahlangu telling him.
He said that he found the participation of the Presidency quite strange.
In his response read by test leader Anton Myburgh SC, Mahlangu denied calling Mapoma.
“The support that Mapoma gave to the NMR lawyers and the intersection between one of our social circles, the nature of my social interaction with him prohibited me from being rude to him and pressuring him,” Mahlangu said.
He continued: “This would have resulted in a backlash from an important circle of friends and would have negatively affected my position as a lawyer among the community of lawyers in that social circle.”
Political Bureau
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