By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Dondo Mogajane, chair of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and CEO of the Moti group has announced his resignation from all professional roles and board positions.
Mogajane said, he’s stepped down from all roles in the corporate sector after unspecified allegations were made against him.
In July this year, he was implicated in bribery by the former chairperson of the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank, Tshifhiwa Matodzi.
Matodzi is serving a 15-year jail term for being the “mastermind” behind the money laundering, corruption, theft and fraud at the bank that led to its 2018 collapse and the loss of about R2 billion.
His affidavit was leaked after he reached a plea agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority. In it, he made allegations about several politicians and officials, including Mogajane, who he said had accepted a R1 million bribe to avoid pressuring municipalities to withdraw unlawful investments from the bank.
Mogajane vehemently denied the allegations when the affidavit was leaked, saying he served at the treasury with “distinction, honesty, loyalty and humility”.
In a statement issued on Monday, Mogajane said he was confident that his reputation would be restored.
“I believe in the importance of due process and remain confident that, in time, the truth will prevail,” he said.
He would use his sabbatical to reflect on his career and to write a memoir detailing his experiences in public service.
“While this chapter of my career has drawn to a close, it is not the conclusion of my story. This period marks a pause, not an endpoint. At a later stage, I may decide to possibly re-enter the private sector and maybe even politics,” he said.
Mogajane has since July 2022 been the chairperson of the GEPF, the largest pension fund in Africa with more than R2.3 trillion in assets under its management with around 1.2 million active members and about 500 000 pensioners and beneficiaries.
He has also been the CEO of the Moti Group since 2022 when he stepped out of the public service after 23 years in government.