Mbalula opens case against Mdwaba over bribery claims

Mdwaba has accused Mbalula and three cabinet ministers of trying to solicit an R500 million bribe from him for the R5-billion Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) job projects deal.

In a recent interview with Sunday World, Mdwaba alleged that his company had scored an R5 billion jobs project with the UIF. However, the deal failed after he refused to pay a bribe.

He initially named Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, Minister of Labour and Employment Thulas Nxesi and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande as the ministers who had demanded 10% of the R5 billion in the deal.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Mdwaba then added Mbalula's name to the list.

Mbalula opened a case at the Sandton police station on Thursday morning.

"I have this morning instructed my lawyers to send a letter of demand to Mr Mthunzi Mdwaba - should he fail to retract all these malicious and defamatory statements about me, my legal team will approach our courts to compel him and seek appropriate relief on top of the case of crimen injuria that I have opened,” Mbalula said.

“Our society, our families, and our children should not be subjected to acrimonious, malicious, and reckless statements causing irreparable, emotional, and psychological harm.”

Mbalula said while he knows the businessman, he has never done any business deals with him.

"I know Mthunzi Mdwaba. I won't deny I know him. He is not my friend. He is not my business friend. He knows me.

“I have never had under-carpet dealings with him anywhere, and I am saying it here in public, never.

“When I was Minister of Sports, he was a health fanatic who was cycling, and he used to give me tips because I was cycling myself.

“I have never had any dealings with him," he said.

Minister of Labour and Employment Thulas Nxesi has also issued a statement disputing the allegations.

"The allegations are completely unsupported by facts or any piece of evidence,” Nxesi said.

“The newspaper must consider the risk in publishing the unsupported claims of an individual previously declared a delinquent director and unfit to hold certain positions by the courts, and someone who had a personal direct interest in what presents itself as an irregular R5 billion UIF-Thuja jobs deal.

“The journalists might also ask why it took 10 months since the deal was blocked for these allegations to emerge. Clearly a case of misdirection in an attempt to steer attention away from the main issue: the emerging irregularity of the deal," said Nxesi.

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