Deputy State Security Minister Zizi Kodwa says there was no corruption or anything illegal” with the payments he received from IT company EOH’s director.
Law firm ENS Africa’s forensic director, Stephen Powell, told the State Capture Commission of Inquiry on Thursday that EOH director Jehan Mckay made payments to Kodwa, former President Jacob Zuma’s adviser Siyabulela Sintwa, and former ANC youth league leader Reggie Nkabinde.
The former ANC spokesperson was allegedly paid R130,000 in three instalments — two of R50,000 and one of R30,000.
Nkabinde was allegedly paid R500,000 in June 2017, while Sintwa allegedly received several payments totalling R271,600, TimesLive reported
Kodwa told Eyewitness News that he received the money, but that the funds did not come from ‘the company’ but from a “personal account” of someone linked to EOH.
At the time, Kodwa was not in government but was the ANC’s national spokesperson.
‘It’s not business, it’s personal’
Powell revealed that Zodwa received more than R300,000, which Kodwa said went into his personal account.
“Using my personal banking account was deliberate because I wasn’t hiding or doing something wrong or illegal.”
Powell said the payments happened between 2015 and 2017.
Powell told the commission that the first payment allegedly made to Kodwa was R30,000 in May 2015. Six weeks later, he allegedly received R100,000 in two tranches.
EOH chief executive Stephen van Coller testified at the commission on Monday that he called in the forensics investigators from ENS when he was appointed because he realised the company was riddled with tender irregularities between it and departments including Defence and Water Affairs.
“I didn’t get the money from EOH, it’s from a personal account,” Kodwa told Eyewitness News.
“In the statement by Powell [at the commission], there is no merit of impropriety or corruption or involvement in a tender, except to mention payments.”
Kodwa is yet to be appear before the commission of inquiry to give his side of the story.
It previously emerged that Kodwa was one of several ANC leaders who also received money from business tycoon Edwin Sodi.
Sodi is facing corruption charges for an asbestos tender awarded to his company by the Free State government.
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