Durban - Former Cabinet Minister Malusi Gigaba has denied that he received bags of money stuffed with bank notes at the Gupta residence in Saxonwold.
This follows allegations made by his former bodyguard at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture.
Gigaba’s bodyguard claimed the minister would receive money and would use it to buy suits, amongst other things.
Gigaba on Friday said he has instructed his legal team to apply to Zondo Commission of Inquiry chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for leave to cross-examine the witness who accused him of receiving bags full of cash from the Guptas.
In the revelations presented to the inquiry on Thursday by three unidentified witnesses, labelled Witness 1, Witness 2 and Witness 3, who testified that Gigaba, former Eskom and Transnet CEO Brian Molefe, former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama and former Transnet CFO Anoj Singh, had often left the Guptas Saxonwold compound with bags stuffed with R200 notes.
In his testimony, Witness 3, who protected and drove Gigaba, told the commission that he had driven Gigaba to the Gupta residence on six or seven occasions and that Gigaba would sometimes emerge from the residence with a bag filled with cash.
Witness 3 also said Gigaba would buy suits with the money and pay for them with cash bills. He said the former minister would also pay for food using the cash bills.
However, on Friday, Gigaba quickly moved to rubbish the damning allegations which have become another blow to his reputation that has continued to take heavy batterings in recent times.
“Yesterday, evidence was led at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry by three unidentified witnesses. Witness 3 made allegations in which he seeks to implicate me in some wrong-doing.
“Witness 3 made spurious allegations against me. I strongly deny any suggestions or insinuation that there is anything unlawful that I did.
“I am in the process of preparing an affidavit in response to the allegations of Witness 3 and have also instructed my legal representatives to simultaneously apply to the Chairperson of the Commission for leave to cross examine Witness 3,” Gigaba said.
He concluded his statement by saying that he found it undesirable to engage the merits of the allegations in matters which were still serving before the commission.
Political Bureau