Zuma-Era Transnet Executives Face Graft Charges in Major Corruption Scandal

As Transnet struggles to recover from years of decay, familiar names are back in the spotlight over a $13 million scandal.

South Africa’s long, painful reckoning with state capture continues. This time, it’s four former Transnet executives — including well-known political figures Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, facing the heat in a corruption case that reaches back to the Jacob Zuma presidency.

The accused were arrested and appeared in court this past week, charged with 18 counts that paint a grim picture of how one of South Africa’s largest state-owned enterprises was allegedly gutted under the guise of progress.

The Faces Behind the Scandal

The high-profile names at the centre of this case are no strangers to headlines. Former Transnet Group CEOs Molefe and Gama, along with two other former executives, heads of finance and procurement, now face charges of fraud, corruption, and violations of both the Public Finance Management Act and Companies Act.

Molefe and Gama are currently serving as members of parliament under the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, a new political formation backed by former president Jacob Zuma.

What Went Wrong at Transnet?

At the heart of the case is a tender linked to an ambitious plan to modernise South Africa’s ailing rail network. The goal was to make freight rail a driver of economic growth. Instead, prosecutors allege it became a feeding trough for looters.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) claims that Transnet awarded a contract to an unqualified Chinese firm, inflating the deal by $13 million (over R240 million). This was just one piece of a larger pattern of mismanagement and alleged corruption during Zuma’s presidency, where billions of rands were siphoned off through dubious deals.

According to the NPA, these charges are distinct from another high-profile case involving the procurement of over 1,000 locomotives, in which both Molefe and Gama are also implicated.

State Capture’s Long Shadow

This latest case is yet another chapter in the saga of “state capture”, the term South Africans now use to describe the rampant looting of public institutions under Zuma’s leadership, much of it orchestrated in tandem with the Gupta family.

The Zondo Commission, chaired by former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, spent years unravelling the web of corruption, exposing how political power was used to repurpose SOEs like Transnet into pipelines of personal and political wealth.

What Happens Next?

Though none of the accused have entered pleas, they’ve each been granted bail of $2,800 (around R50,000) and are expected to return to court in October 2025.

But while the legal process unfolds, the damage lingers.

Transnet, once the backbone of South Africa’s logistics economy, remains in a fragile state. The company is burdened by debt, plagued by infrastructure breakdowns, and hobbled by years of underinvestment caused in part by the very corruption under investigation.

Political Fallout and Public Reaction

The case is being closely watched not just for its legal implications, but for its political symbolism. Both Molefe and Gama maintain their innocence and are still politically active, raising questions about accountability and the continued influence of figures central to the state capture era.

Online, public sentiment has been predictably fiery. Many South Africans are asking how long justice will take and whether the state has the political will to see prosecutions through to conviction. Others are frustrated by the slow pace of reform in Transnet and other SOEs, despite numerous findings from the Zondo Commission.

The Bigger Picture

This is more than just a courtroom drama, it’s a test of South Africa’s democratic institutions and their ability to correct past wrongs. As the country continues to wrestle with the fallout from state capture, this case could help set a precedent for future prosecutions.

It’s also a reminder that leadership in public institutions matters and that mismanagement at the top can derail the very systems meant to uplift the nation.

Stay tuned for October, when the court proceedings continue and the battle for justice takes its next step.

{Source: IOL}

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