Three months after Daily Maverick exposed an attempted bribe of its journalist by Independent Development Trust officials, no arrests have been made. The incident involved a R60,000 cash offer to drop a corruption probe. Authorities promised action, but silence persists amid broader concerns over corruption in South Africa.
In August, Daily Maverick investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh recorded a meeting where suspended Independent Development Trust (IDT) CEO Tebogo Malaka and spokesperson Phasha Makgolane offered him R60,000 in cash and promises of lucrative tenders. The bribe aimed to bury a story on Malaka’s property development and the mismanagement of an IDT Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), where workers were reportedly exploited.
Myburgh refused the offer, documented the exchange, and handed over the evidence. Two days after the story's publication, Daily Maverick filed criminal charges. Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson also laid charges in Cape Town.
Despite these steps, three months later, there have been no arrests, no disciplinary outcomes, and no updates. Malaka remains suspended on full pay due to separate allegations of corruption and mismanagement in an R836-million oxygen plant tender. Makgolane appears to still be on the public payroll.
The IDT board committed to an internal review, the minister to accountability, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to an investigation. However, this case unfolds against a backdrop of SAPS scrutiny in a parliamentary inquiry into its own corruption issues, including bribery and procurement fraud.
The article draws parallels to the Zondo Commission on State Capture, which exposed widespread corruption but led to few prosecutions or convictions. Internationally, exposures in Ukraine, Russia, and Namibia prompted swift arrests and resignations, contrasting South Africa's pattern of inquiries without consequences.
This inaction, the piece argues, erodes public faith in the rule of law and normalizes impunity in public institutions.