Former minister of state security, Bongani Bongo, has been granted R5,000 bail after appearing in the Cape Town magistrate's court on charges of corruption.
Bongo made his appearance on Tuesday.
This follows a case dating back to October 2017 when Bongo allegedly tried to interfere with a sitting of the Eskom board and the portfolio committee on Public Enterprises.
Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale explained that “between September and October 2017, accused [Bongo] reportedly approached a member of the committee, seeking to arrange a meeting to prevent a scheduled sitting where the Eskom board was to account.”
During the meeting, Bongo allegedly suggested that the sitting could be blocked if the committee member “named his price” for “gratification”, she said.
In February 2021, Bongo was acquitted of corruption by the then judge president of the Western Cape, John Hlophe, who has since been impeached.
However, in May 2024, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) overturned this ruling, ordering that Bongo start his corruption trial from scratch.
Acting judge John Smith stated that Hlophe had made “mistakes of law” and, had those errors not occurred, there was enough evidence to convict Bongo.
In response to the ruling, Bongo told Sowetan at the time: “I was not judging the case. If they want me back, I will go. I don’t have a problem. I am a law-abiding citizen, so if the judgment found something wrong, then I must go back to court.”
At the time, Hlophe had found Bongo not guilty of attempting to bribe the Eskom inquiry's evidence leader, Ntuthuzelo Vanara, and dismissed the case after Bongo's lawyers successfully applied for a discharge, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to convict.
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Bongo out on bail after appearing on corruption charges
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Former minister of state security, Bongani Bongo, has been granted R5,000 bail after appearing in the Cape Town magistrate's court on charges of corruption.
Bongo made his appearance on Tuesday.
This follows a case dating back to October 2017 when Bongo allegedly tried to interfere with a sitting of the Eskom board and the portfolio committee on Public Enterprises.
Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale explained that “between September and October 2017, accused [Bongo] reportedly approached a member of the committee, seeking to arrange a meeting to prevent a scheduled sitting where the Eskom board was to account.”
During the meeting, Bongo allegedly suggested that the sitting could be blocked if the committee member “named his price” for “gratification”, she said.
In February 2021, Bongo was acquitted of corruption by the then judge president of the Western Cape, John Hlophe, who has since been impeached.
However, in May 2024, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) overturned this ruling, ordering that Bongo start his corruption trial from scratch.
Acting judge John Smith stated that Hlophe had made “mistakes of law” and, had those errors not occurred, there was enough evidence to convict Bongo.
In response to the ruling, Bongo told Sowetan at the time: “I was not judging the case. If they want me back, I will go. I don’t have a problem. I am a law-abiding citizen, so if the judgment found something wrong, then I must go back to court.”
At the time, Hlophe had found Bongo not guilty of attempting to bribe the Eskom inquiry's evidence leader, Ntuthuzelo Vanara, and dismissed the case after Bongo's lawyers successfully applied for a discharge, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to convict.
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