By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former state security minister Bongani Bongo on Friday claimed a faction within the ANC was behind his prosecution because they believed that he had access to files containing the names of “spies”.
He made the claim outside the Western Cape High Court after judge president John Hlophe granted his discharge application on a charge of corruption and found him not guilty of allegedly attempting to bribe Eskom inquiry evidence leader Ntuthuzelo Vanara.
Hlophe’s judgment was scathing of Vanara, the sole witness to the alleged bribery attempt.
Vanara had accused Bongo of approaching him on October 10 2017, 10 days before parliament’s commission of inquiry into state capture at Eskom was due to start.
Hlophe said other state witnesses contradicted Vanara’s evidence in some material aspects, and created reasonable doubt on his evidence. Hlophe went further, saying that Vanara didn’t report the matter to the police, instead reporting it to parliament, because in Hlophe’s view, he himself didn’t believe that what Bongo had done was a crime.
Judge Hlophe said DA MP John Steenhuisen gave an incorrect statement to the Hawks when he finally reported the matter to them in 2018. Steenhuisen had claimed that Bongo had “bribed” Vanara, insinuating that money was paid. Hlophe’s view was that Steenhuisen could only have got the information about what had transpired from Vanara himself.
Hlophe had reserved judgement on the application to acquit until this morning.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said that they were studying the judgment.
“The National Prosecuting Authority notes the decision of the High Court of South Africa Western Cape division and will study the judgment before considering its options. The court garnered Mr Bongani Bongo his section 174 application and found him not guilty on a charge of corruption.”
Bongo told the press that the narrative of the “past three years” was a sideshow aimed at subverting expropriation without compensation.
“We have warned those who continue to use state institutions in political battles. I said when I was arrested that this is just a political gimmick. My name for the past three years has been in the media space that I’m corrupt, but I was [not], ” said Bongo.
“When we are done, we are going to explain how this conspiracy works. It is meant to deviate from ensuring that there is economic freedom in our lifetime,” he said. “We view this as a very serious indictment to the progressive forces [sic].”
ANC MP and national executive council member Tandi Mahambehlala said, “The case against Comrade Bongo was nothing but a conspiracy collaborated by those within our organisation, working with the forces of doom like the DA, to destroy our own, one way or the other.”
“We hope that when we go to Bloemfontein we will have the same conviction, because charges against the secretary-general of the ANC Ace Magashule are nothing but frivolous, the same way as these ones against Bongo, “she said.