Zuma’s son accused of seeking R54m bribe to broker deal

The President’s son, Mxolisi Saady Zuma, has been accused of trying to broker a R54m bribe to use his father’s influence to swing a government contract. A Sunday Times report says he allegedly tried to broker a bribe with Altech UEC, a subsidiary of technology giant Altron, to help the company secure a multibillion-rand TV set-top box contract. SA is migrating from analogue to digital terrestrial TV and the decoder will be necessary for homes to receive signals. The report notes that although it is believed the money was never paid, Mxolisi negotiated with top executives for a ‘consultancy fee’ to help the company swing a contract with the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA. Two executives in the company reportedly told the Sunday Times last week that Altech had planned to bribe Mxolisi. ‘We were told that Saady would use his father’s influence to strong-arm the communications minister (Faith Muthambi, a close friend of the President) to swing the deal our way,’ one of the executives is quoted in the report as saying. ‘One senior executive was discussing the bribe - which was going to be presented in our books as either commission or a consultancy fee – with Saady directly and we didn’t have knowledge of the entire discussion except what we were told.’ Altron group executive for marketing and communications Zipporah Maubane denied the company tried to bribe Mxolisi to win the tender. The Sunday Times says it attempted to contact Mxolisi through Zuma’s spokesperson, Bongani Ngqulunga, but Mxolisi did not respond.

The DA has appealed to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to investigate alleged deals between the Zuma family and the government, notes a TimesLIVE report. DA leader Mmusi Maimane said new evidence had emerged yesterday indicating that President Jacob Zuma had initiated and fostered several relationships between Cabinet Ministers and his family members and relatives‚ in order to secure government contracts and other financial benefits for himself and his family. ‘The Speaker of the National Assembly‚ Baleka Mbete‚ has in her possession a sworn affidavit by a former Chief Director in the Department of Public Service and Administration‚ Mr Brent Simons‚ claiming that Jacob Zuma lied about assisting family members in making contact with cabinet ministers and securing government contracts. Baleka Mbete must make public this affidavit. I will therefore be writing to the Public Protector‚ Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane‚ requesting she launch an investigation into this matter. There now exists prima facie evidence of undue influence and unlawful enrichment‚ which must be probed‚’ Maimane said.