FORMER South Africa’s Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba stood in the dock at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday, facing fraud and corruption charges linked to the irregular procurement of locomotives that cost Transnet billions of rands.
Dr Gigaba, now joint head of parliament’s defence committee and a member of the ruling ANC’s powerful National Executive Committee, was formally added as the fifth accused in the case by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).
He appeared alongside four former Transnet executives: Anoj Singh, the parastatal’s former group chief financial officer; Brian Molefe, former group chief executive; Siyabonga Gama, former chief executive; and Thamsanqa Jiyane, former chief procurement officer in the Transport Freight Rail division.
The charges relate to a period between November 2010 and May 2014, when Gigaba served as minister of public enterprises, the department responsible for overseeing state-owned companies, including Transnet.
According to the state’s case, Gigaba allegedly accepted and received undisclosed cash payments from members of the Gupta family during this period. The payments, which prosecutors describe as corrupt in nature, were amounts “which he was not entitled to,” court papers state.
The case centres on Transnet’s acquisition of locomotives meant to expand and modernise South Africa’s rail infrastructure. The state alleges that tender processes were flouted and three contracts were irregularly awarded to supply 95, 100, and 1064 locomotives, respectively, resulting in losses of billions of rands for the state-owned freight company.
IDAC issued Gigaba with a summons on November 7, to which he agreed to present himself at court. His matter has been combined with that of the other accused, all of whom were presented with an updated charge sheet on Monday.
Gigaba has proclaimed his innocence.
The case has been postponed to January 30, 2026, for the disclosure of the docket, provision of an indictment, and to set a date for the transfer of the case to the high court.
Gigaba is expected to step aside from his political and parliamentary duties following the criminal charges, in line with the ANC’s step-aside resolution that requires members charged with corruption or serious crimes to relinquish their positions.
The appearance marks a dramatic fall for Gigaba, who previously held several cabinet positions, including home affairs and finance, and who once wielded significant influence within both government and the ANC’s highest decision-making structures.
The locomotive procurement scandal has been a central focus of investigations into state capture, the systematic plundering of state resources allegedly orchestrated by the Gupta family in collaboration with former president Jacob Zuma and complicit officials.
