Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson Opens Case Against Suspended IDT CEO for Bribery Saga
- The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, opened a case against the suspended CEO of the Independent Development Trust
- Tebogo Malaka went viral when she was caught allegedly bribing a journalist on video
- Macpherson also took a swipe at political parties including the Economic Freedom Fighters
With 10 years of experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, has provided insights into infrastructure challenges and state-owned enterprises in South Africa, having worked at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
Source: Getty Images
CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE — The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has opened a case against suspended Independent Development Trust (IDT) CEO Tebogo Malaka after she went viral for allegedly attempting to bribe a journalist.
In a statement released on 7 August 2025 said that he will be personally laying the charges against her. He said he would ask the South African Police Service to investigate whether other individuals, including journalists and political parties, who may have been bribed in a similar manner that Malaka tried to bribe Daily Maverick journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh.
Macpherson added that the police should also investigate the use of social media bot accounts and the role of public commentators.
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Macpherson was sickened by the allegations
Macpherson said the allegations Daily Maverick made against Malaka sickened him. He questioned how it was possible for any official to carry around R60,000 in cash and imply that government contracts could be offered in exchange for silence.
Macpherson also said that a paid-for public campaign was launched against him, and this included allegations that he paid journalists to report negatively on the IDT. The Economic Freedom Fighters opened a case against Macpherson on 22 January this year and accused him of interfering with an IDT tender. He slammed the EFF and ActionSA, accusing them of playing a role in shielding corruption.
"It is even more shameful that political parties such as ActionSA and the EFF helped to shield those accused of corruption by endorsing and elevating these false reports. South Africans should be demanding answers from them on how they benefited from this campaign," he said.
Source: Getty Images
Macpherson vows to end corruption in department
Macpherson said that when he entered office, he vowed to end the era of unaccountability and theft at the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
"We will now continue with our efforts to clean up the Department and its entities to ensure we can deliver on our mandate to build a better South Africa," he said.
According to the affidavit he submitted in support of the charges laid against Malaka, Macpherson opened a case of corruption, bribery, collusion, breaches of fiduciary duties in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, and any other charges relating to the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities.
Former Speaker of Parliament arrested for corruption
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the former Defence Minister and Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Maisa-Nqakula was arrested in 2024 on charges of corruption. She handed herself over at the Lyttleton Police Station in Tshewane.
Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly received bribes during her tenure as the Defence Minister between 2016 and 2019. She initially denied the allegations, but was later arrested after a case was opened against her.
Source: Briefly News
