Caught on Camera: IDT CEO and spokesperson offer journalist R60,000 bribe to bury corruption probe

Key topics:Suspended CEO caught offering cash to silence investigationDior bag stuffed with R200 notes presented as payoffShocking footage raises questions about state procurement ethicsSign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Kerry Lanaghan.In a jaw-dropping display of alleged corruption at the heart of a key state-funded agency, the suspended CEO of the Independent Development Trust (IDT), Tebogo Malaka, and the organisation's spokesperson, Phasha Makgolane, were secretly filmed offering a R60,000 cash bribe to a journalist to halt an ongoing investigation.The scandal - described as possibly the most brazen attempt to bribe a South African journalist ever captured on camera - unfolded at a restaurant on a Stellenbosch wine farm on Sunday, 3 August. The covert footage, released by Daily Maverick, shows Makgolane placing a white Dior bag stuffed with R200 banknotes onto the table, confirming the contents amounted to "sixty" thousand Rand, before urging investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh to drop allegations linked to Malaka's questionable property dealings and ties to an IDT contractor.The IDT is a multibillion-rand state entity tasked with building schools, clinics and other public infrastructure. It handles more than R4 billion in taxpayer-funded contracts yearly, yet operates primarily under the public radar. Daily Maverick has been scrutinising IDT operations since late 2024, breaking the R836 million oxygen plants scandal that landed Malaka on precautionary suspension. The subsequent probe into Malaka's private property investments - and their possible links to IDT tenders - prompted the extraordinary attempted payoff.The sting unfolded following weeks of secret planning. Back in June, spokesperson Makgolane had unexpectedly contacted Myburgh, hinting at a "very sensitive matter" and proposing a face-to-face meeting. During that first encounter, also on a Stellenbosch wine farm, he complained that Daily Maverick's reporting was "problematic" for the IDT and suggested that "positive coverage" could be rewarded with regular payments of R100,000. More shocking still, he offered the journalist the opportunity to nominate his contractors for lucrative IDT tenders - from which he could allegedly take a cut.Realising he was being courted for corruption, Myburgh alerted his editors and legal advisers. He decided to maintain contact with Makgolane to record any illicit proposals. Legal affidavits were filed, security experts and a forensics team were brought in, and preparations were made for a second meeting, with the suspended CEO herself in attendance.At the meeting on 3 August, Malaka initially attempted to speak privately to Myburgh, even asking her spokesperson to leave the table briefly. Expressing concern over the negative media attention focused on her, she pleaded: "I want it closed… I don't want you writing about it." Upon Makgolane's return, the conversation shifted to "goodwill" and tender opportunities. Malaka hinted that while her suspension made long-term deals uncertain, short-term rewards were still available.When Myburgh asked how much cash was being offered up front, Malaka said, "Sixty." Moments later, Makgolane produced the Dior bag filled with notes. The journalist played along long enough to photograph the money "for the record", then stunned the pair by returning the cash and walking out, leaving the would-be bribers scrambling to gather the money and flee the restaurant.Full footage of the meeting and attempted bribe, released by Daily Maverick, can be viewed here from 06:47 to 09:25.When approached for comment, Malaka claimed she would respond later. At the same time, Makgolane said he was too busy to meet Daily Maverick's deadline, promising a "comprehensive" reply only by Thursday.The explosive footage will likely trigger significant consequences for Malaka and Makgolane - potentially including criminal charges under anti-corruption legislation. At the same time, it shines a blinding spotlight on the IDT itself, raising serious questions about procurement integrity and political oversight. With billions of public funds at stake, the scandal has already sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of South Africa's public infrastructure establishment.Whether this is the tip of the iceberg or an isolated act of desperation remains to be seen - but the brazen attempt to buy off a journalist suggests a culture of impunity that goes far beyond a single Dior bag stuffed with cash.

Caught on Camera: IDT CEO and spokesperson offer journalist R60,000 bribe to bury corruption probe

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