‘Sick’ Dudu pulls a Zuma

The Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday postponed the case against former South African Airways chair Dudu Myeni to 14 June.

Myeni’s case was previously postponed in March for the state to consider representations made by her legal team. She was reportedly unable to attend court yesterday because she was sick.

Myeni is facing charges of defeating the administration of justice after she outed a witness in her November 2020 testimony before Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

She revealed the identity of Mr X, who had previously implicated Myeni at the commission. He said she had instructed him to transfer R1 million into the account of the Jacob G Zuma Foundation.

Myeni claimed Mr X was “a family member” before blurting out his surname, despite a warning from Zondo to not repeat it.

The incident led to the commission lodging a criminal complaint against Myeni for revealing the identity of the witness.

Zondo said he took the decision to lodge the complaint after reviewing Myeni’s affidavit explaining her conduct.

He said the commission wanted the police to investigate a possible contravention of regulation 9 of the inquiry’s regulations, which empowered him to direct a witness’ identity be protected, or the Commissions Act, which makes anyone who “wilfully hinders or obstructs” the commission’s performance guilty of an offence.

Myeni may also be facing a criminal charge for not appearing at the commission when summoned in May 2021. Zondo said a criminal charge would be laid, even if Myeni, who was declared a delinquent director, made herself available to give evidence.

He said at the time: “The secretary of the commission must take steps to lay a criminal complaint with the South African Police Service against her for acting in breach of the summons and the Commissions Act. I direct that she should make herself available to give evidence today whether it’s via Zoom or any other methods...”

Meanwhile, Solidarity has said it intends to lay charges against Myeni and 19 other people allegedly involved in state capture – including former Transet and Eskom head Brian Molefe, former Denel chair Daniel Mantsha, former president Jacob Zuma and the former chief executive of Denel, Zwelakhe Ntsepe.

Solidarity recently said it would file charges of corruption, theft, fraud and mismanagement of state funds against the accused at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria.

“All had been involved ... in criminal activities,” said its chief executive, Dr Dirk Hermann.