By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The corruption case involving former minister of Public Enterprises Malusi Gigaba and former Transnet executives has been postponed to 30 January 2026.
Gigaba and transnet executives appeared before the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
They face a string of charges including fraud, corruption and breaches of both the Public Finance Management Act and the Companies Act.
The matter was postponed to allow for the disclosure of the docket, the provision of an indictment, and the setting of a date for the case to be transferred to the High Court.
Gigaba was issued with a summons on 7 November and voluntarily presented himself at the Palm Ridge court, where his case was joined with that of the other accused, said Idac spokesperson Henry Mamothame.
Gigaba’s charges relate to the period November 2010 to May 2014, when he served as minister of public enterprises.
During that time, Transnet undertook major procurement processes to expand and modernise its rail fleet. Gigaba is accused alongside several former senior Transnet officials:
- Anoj Singh, former group chief financial officer
- Brian Molefe, former group chief executive officer
- Siyabonga Gama, former chief executive officer
- Thamsanqa Jiyane, former chief procurement officer for Transnet Freight Rail
“The accused’s court appearance emanates from the period in which Transnet engaged in the process of acquiring locomotives to expand and modernise the country’s rail infrastructure,” said Mamothame. “During this period, the tender processes were flouted, and three contracts were irregularly awarded to procure 95, 100, and 1,064 locomotives, resulting in a loss of billions of rands to Transnet.”
Gigaba was appointed public enterprises minister after a fallout between then President Jacob Zuma and then minister Barbara Hogan after she refused to rehire Siyabonga Gama at Transnet after his initial dismissal. Gigaba remained minister until May 2014, during which time the 1064 locomotives deal went through.
Gigaba is one of the key figures implicated in the State Capture saga. In Part 2 of the State Capture Report, a staggering 506 pages are devoted to Transnet — detailing how the parastatal was ensnared in what the commission described as “a systematic scheme of securing illicit and corrupt influence or control over decision-making”.
Gigaba served in the cabinet from 2010 until 2018, including as finance minister for a year after Zuma fired the late Pravin Gordhan.
He returned to parliament last year when he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the African National Congress (ANC), subsequently appointed chair of the Defence portfolio committee.