By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
File Photo.
The African National Congress (ANC) MP Bongani Bongo has pleaded not guilty to corruption.
Bongo was at the Western Cape Division of the High Court on the first day of his corruption trial.
The corruption trial presided by Judge President John Hlophe takes place this week.
He is accused of trying to bribe an evidence leader, Ntuthuzelo Vanara in Parliament’s Eskom inquiry in 2017.
Vanara was at the time the evidence leader in a parliamentary inquiry into malfeasance in state-owned enterprises Eskom, Denel, and Transnet.
Testifying on the first day of Bongo’s corruption trial at the high court in Cape Town, Vanara said he received three calls from Bongo on October 4 2017, shortly after arranging to meet and interview then acting Eskom board chairperson Zethembe Khoza in preparation for a hearing into allegations of state capture at the power utility.
He received the first two calls shortly before departing on a flight to Johannesburg from Cape Town to meet Khoza. Bongo requested to meet Vanara, suggesting a quick meeting at the airport before he departed.
When Bongo asked where he was going, Vanara told him he was heading to Durban.
“It was already October 4. I had been exposed to overwhelming evidence of malfeasance. It became very apparent to me that I needed to tread carefully, “Vanara told the court. “I told him we were going to Durban primarily due to security concerns.”
Bongo then asked if he had scheduled a meeting with Khoza.
“I said yes but we were still waiting for a confirmation,” he said.
Bongo then asked when he would return to Cape Town the next day as he wanted to schedule a meeting. They agreed to instead meet on October 9.
He then allegedly called Vanara on October 9 at 5pm to say he had just landed in Cape Town and asked if Vanara was still at his office in parliament. They then agreed to meet the next day, Tuesday October 10.
Vanara testified that Bongo arrived at his office, saying he was sent by Khoza on behalf of the Eskom board to ask for Vanara’s assistance with the commission of inquiry.
The indictment alleges that Bongo would offer Vanara a bribe if he told the commission of inquiry he was ill and could not go ahead with the inquiry.
Bongo explained that he and other individuals were working on a multipronged approach to stop the inquiry from going ahead, according to the indictment.
Vanara allegedly refused and reported the incident to the acting secretary of parliament.
Bongo faces one count of corruption. He pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Through his lawyer Advocate Mike Hellens, denied ever offering Vanara a bribe.
“I deny offering him money whatsoever in order to achieve any purpose to interfere with the running of any parliamentary inquiry.”
The state will call 12 witnesses including a cellphone expert, while Bongo’s defence team said they would call three witnesses including Bongo and Khoza.
The trial continues.