Corruption probe finds Jacob Zuma crony wrecked South Africa Airways

A commission of inquiry into corruption set up by former president Jacob Zuma has found that his crony Dudu Myeni effectively wrecked the state carrier South African Airways.

Her bullying, crooked maladministration made SAA “an entity racked by corruption and fraud”, the report finds.

“Myeni was retained as SAA CEO well beyond the point at which she should have been removed.”

Myeni appeared before the commission but refused to answer questions on grounds that she might incriminate herself.”

Previously, Zuma's refusal to obey a Constitutional Court order to appear before he commission led to his being sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court.

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who headed the commission, said: “President Zuma fled the commission because he knew that there were questions that would be put to him that he would not have been able to answer.

"He could not have justified his insistence that Myeni be retained.”

Zondo added that those responsible for the governance of SAA were not motivated by the entity's best interest, but rather by their own personal interests.

Three tranche report

The remarks come in the first tranche of the Zondo Commission which is now on President Cyril Ramaphosa's desk.

The second tranche will handed to him at the end of January and the third and final tranche at the end of February.

United Democratic Movement leader leader Bantu Holomisa failed in a legal bid to have the report handed to Deputy President David Mabuza because the mention of Ramaphosa makes him conflicted.

Ramaphosa, however, said he would stand aside if at any point he felt conflicted.

The report states that the ownership of the New Age newspaper by the wealthy Indian Gupta brothers “paints a picture of a calculated strategy by the Guptas to appropriate public funds from state-owned enterprises”.

Evidence before the commission showed how the Guptas diverted millions of rands of public money to their media enterprise.

Trust in government

Zondo also found that the government could not be trusted to deal effectively with corruption.

Dealing with South Africa Revenue Service, Zondo found it was a clear example of state capture involving former commissioner Tom Moyane and Zuma.

Ramaphosa is now under pressure to ensure that corruption charges are brought against those implicated by Zondo.