AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
THE stage is set for a war of words between one of South Africa’s famous couples – former Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and his estranged wife Nomachule.
From sharing the limelight at five star functions and recognised for their love of fashion as well as finer things in life, the couple have fallen out of love – a divorce is pending – and they are already exchanging barbs.
Accusations, counter-accusations and calling each other liars became commonplace this week as Malusi and Nomachule not only exchanged seats at the Zondo Commission into state capture but also some unpleasant words.
Nomachule has had more than one occasion to say what she wanted to about her estranged husband. She has given South Africa a peak into not only their lives but the divorce battle that lies ahead for them.
Nomachule not only dropped bombshells about her estranged relations with the Gupta family, including how they allegedly paid for the couple’s honeymoon and spoiling them with gifts including cash and BMW car.
She also revealed their expensive lifestyle. “R3000 means nothing in my life,” she said.
Malusi shopped in Sandton, paid cash and had over 100 suits, so many that he had to keep some of them in storage.
She also told the commission that former South African Airways chairperson Dudu Myeni paid for their pre-wedding trip to Mauritius and that Malusi thought nothing of her ability as a chairperson. She also said the former minister thought that someone in the high echelons of the ANC wanted to destroy him politically.
However, Malusi will have none of this. In the few hours that he spent in the witness stand before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, he gave an indication of what’s to come – fireworks.
He described Nomachule allegations as “creative imagination” and pleaded for time, sufficient time, to respond to them.
Malusi said: I would want an opportunity, ample opportunity to respond comprehensively to Ms Mngoma’s creative imagination. I want to deal with what she testified here. The expensive lies, the inaccuracies and the fabrications. “
Nomachule, in her testimony, said Malusi had visited the Guptas Saxonwold, Johannesburg not less than 20 times. Malusi said his visits were not more than 20. “It was not more than 20 times, as she claims, because it would beggar the questions, how did she arrive at that calculation, even that the instances she refers to, at which she claims to be present, do not amount to two or three times. That being the case, if she was not there over the next say, 16 or 17 times, then how does she know? She was not there,” he said.
The accusations and denials have characterised the exchange between the estranged couple, who are in the middle of a divorce.
Malusi is due back on the witness stand soon and war of words with his estranged wife is set to resume.
