In what may be one of the most audacious acts of attempted media bribery ever captured on camera by Daily Maverick, suspended Independent Development Trust (IDT) CEO Tebogo Malaka and the entity’s spokesperson Phasha Makgolane were caught red-handed offering a R60 000 cash bribe to silence an ongoing corruption investigation.
The shocking incident, exclusively reported by Daily Maverick journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh on Tuesday, was meticulously documented through video footage and audio recordings of a meeting that took place on Sunday, 3 August, at a restaurant near Stellenbosch.
According to Myburgh’s detailed account published in Daily Maverick, the alleged attempted bribery was the culmination of weeks of careful planning after IDT spokesperson Makgolane initially approached the journalist in June with suspicious offers of “mutual cooperation”.
Regular cash payments promised
Myburgh’s investigation reveals that during their first meeting on 6 June, Makgolane promised Myburgh regular cash payments of R100 000 and access to lucrative IDT contracts in exchange for more positive coverage and an end to investigative reporting into the entity’s affairs.
The video evidence, as described in the Daily Maverick report, shows a person resembling Makgolane placing a white Dior shopping bag containing R60 000 in R200 notes on the restaurant table. The footage captures Myburgh photographing the money before decisively rejecting the bribe and walking away from the meeting.
During the recorded conversation, Malaka allegedly made her intentions crystal clear, telling the journalist: “I want it closed. I don’t want you to be writing about it… From my side, I don’t want anything, even more coming out.”
The suspended CEO even asked her spokesperson to leave the table at one point, explaining: “Some of the things I can’t speak about in front of Phasha, as much as I trust him. I’m his boss.”
The Daily Maverick’s reporting indicates that this bribery attempt stems from ongoing investigations into the IDT’s R836-million oxygen plants scandal, Malaka’s property dealings and her alleged connections to IDT contractors.
Culture of corruption
The IDT, a crucial but lesser-known government entity, manages upwards of R4-billion annually for social infrastructure projects including schools and clinics. Daily Maverick has been investigating the organisation since October 2024, with their revelations leading to a PwC investigation that resulted in Malaka’s precautionary suspension.
This incident raises serious questions about the culture of corruption within state-owned entities, the lengths to which compromised officials will go to silence media scrutiny and the critical importance of investigative journalism in exposing state capture.
While both Malaka and Makgolane were approached for comment by Daily Maverick, neither provided substantial responses before publication deadlines. Makgolane did however indicate that he will “comprehensively respond to your allegations by Thursday COB”.
