Last week, Mthunzi Mdwaba made a shocking revelation that has had a profound impact on the political landscape. The allegations implicated several notable government officials, including Thulas Nxesi, the Minister of Employment and Labour, Enoch Godongwana, the Minister of Finance, Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Higher Education, and Fikile Mbalula, the secretary-general of the ANC. Despite the potential consequences, Mdwaba has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to his assertions.
By Staff Reporter
Mthunzi Mdwaba, the former chairman of Productivity South Africa and CEO of Thuja Capital, revealed in an interview with Newzroom Afrika that he was approached by three Cabinet ministers and Fikile Mbalula, the Secretary-General of the ANC, through intermediaries, who requested “gateway fees” totalling R500 million.
This sum, equivalent to 10% of a R5 billion Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) deal secured by Mdwaba as seed capital for a jobs program, was intended to facilitate the creation of employment opportunities for 700 000 people.
As a result of these revelations, the accused ministers have threatened to take legal action, and Mbalula has opened a case of crimen injuria at the Sandton police station. The ministers, including Mbalula, are demanding an apology from Mdwaba.
During an interview with Thami Ngubeni on eNCA on Monday, Mdwaba remained undeterred by the potential legal consequences and the impact of his disclosures. He confidently asserted that he had irrefutable evidence to support his assertions in a court of law, and he had no intention of offering an apology.
“I have solid proof. I stand by my statement and in due course I shall also be writing letters back to say quite frankly I fail to understand why I must apologise for something that is true, and for something that I believe.
“If people want to do something then they must do what they have to do. I have also said on other platforms – I am not driven by a popularity contest. I think that is the one thing that always made me very controversial with people. I do what I feel I must do. I am happy to go against the stream any time of the day. I have done it so many times in my life and I will continue,” Mdwaba asserted.
Mdwaba told Ngubeni that he has garnered significant backing from the South African public, attracting over 7 000 new followers on the social media platform X. However, Mdwaba also mentioned that he has faced considerable criticism, with many people labelling him as a “sellout.”
In an interview with SABC TV following Mbalula’s filing of a crimen injuria case, Mdwaba said he was unfazed by Mbalula’s actions.
“He laid a charge of crimen injuria and then I received a letter to retract and apologise or something like that. I am not too bothered by that. I think people must do what they have to do.
“I have no regret doing it, and as I’ve said before, there are people much bigger and much who’ve had to deal with the consequences of speaking the truth.”
“Of course, I am going to go back and tell them well, there’s no apology from me so I think their lawyers may as well start now if they want to because they are waiting for me to respond, and I will respond. I’ll do the honourable thing, I’ll do the right thing and respond to them out of respect, but I certainly have no regrets about what I did.”
Meanwhile, East Coast Radio has reported that Mdwaba has had to beef up security measures because of concerns about his personal safety.
“Everybody is telling me that these are vicious people, so I’m doing all I can to protect myself, to beef up my security and try to stay home as much as possible.
“And even the keynote that I’m supposed to do, I’m going to do behind a computer, via Zoom, but let’s see what’s going to happen from now.
