The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) formally added former Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba as the fifth accused in a major corruption case involving former Transnet executives at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court today.
Gigaba, who served as Minister of Public Enterprises from November 2010 to May 2014, now faces charges alongside four former Transnet officials in connection with irregularly awarded locomotive contracts worth billions of rands.
The case centres around allegations that Gigaba accepted undisclosed amounts of cash from members of the Gupta family during his ministerial tenure. The state alleges these payments were corrupt in nature and that Gigaba was not entitled to receive them.
He joins four other accused in the dock: Anoj Singh – former Group Chief Financial Officer, Brian Molefe – former Group Chief Executive Officer, Siyabonga Gama – former Chief Executive Officer and Thamsanqa Jiyane – former Chief Procurement Officer in the Transport Freight Rail division.
The charges stem from Transnet’s controversial locomotive acquisition program between 2010 and 2014, a period when the state-owned freight rail company was seeking to expand and modernise South Africa’s rail infrastructure.
During this time, tender processes were allegedly flouted, resulting in three contracts being irregularly awarded for the supply of locomotives:
- 95 locomotives in the first contract
- 100 locomotives in the second contract
- 1,064 locomotives in the third contract
These irregular contracts resulted in losses of billions of rands for Transnet and became a central focus of investigations into state capture during the Jacob Zuma administration.
IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame, said that Gigaba was issued with a summons on 7 November and agreed to appear voluntarily at court. His case has been consolidated with those of his co-accused.
All five accused were presented with an updated charge sheet during their court appearance today (18 November). The matter has been postponed to 30 January 2026, for the disclosure of the docket, provision of an indictment, and to set a date for the case’s transfer to the high court.
The locomotive tender scandal forms part of the wider state capture investigation that has dominated South African politics for nearly a decade. The Gupta family, mentioned in the charges against Gigaba, were at the centre of allegations that they captured key state institutions and officials during the Zuma presidency.
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