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Sunday World reports that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula instructed his chief of staff Langa Zita to take leave following allegations that he was involved in using the name of the governing party’s chief executive officer to solicit a bribe from businessman Mthunzi Mdwaba.
Last year, Mdwaba alleged that Mbalula, through a middleman, was among ANC heavyweights who approached him and solicited a 10% cut from the now botched R5-billion deal he had scored at the Department of Employment and Labour. Mbalula, alongside his comrades who were fingered in the allegations, dragged Mdwaba to court claiming defamation. They have so far obtained a gag order against Mdwaba. Mbalula was apparently so irked at having his name dragged into the fiasco that he embarked on an investigation to find out who might have misused his name. After Mdwaba revealed that it was Zita who came to his house, Mbalula approached his subordinate, who admitted to having been to Mdwaba’s house, but denied that he solicited kickbacks from the businessman. Mbalula confirmed that he told Zita to take leave. He said Zita himself was prepared to go on sabbatical leave to allow the process to run without his interference. That process has since run its course, said Mbalula, and found no wrongdoing on the part of Zita, whom he said would be returning to his job. Mbalula insisted that Zita was not on as suspension as speculated in Luthuli House corridors, but was rather on sabbatical leave.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mawande Amashabalala at Sunday World (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page