MINISTER MACPHERSON LAYS CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST SUSPENDED IDT CEO & SPOKESPERSON FOLLOWING BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS

Article and Pictures by Caroline Mokotedi

07 August 2025

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has laid criminal charges against suspended Independent Development Trust (IDT) CEO Tebogo Malaka and IDT spokesperson Phasha Makgolane, following explosive bribery allegations reported by the Daily Maverick. The report revealed that investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh was offered R60,000 in cash to suppress negative reporting about the embattled public entity and its leadership.

This morning, Minister Macpherson visited the Cape Town Central Police Station to formally lay the charges. The decision follows the release of covert video footage showing Malaka and Makgolane allegedly attempting to bribe Myburgh during a meeting at a restaurant near Stellenbosch. The offer was reportedly made in exchange for withholding an article that would have exposed Malaka’s involvement in a controversial IDT tender and her ownership of a luxury Waterfall Country Estate property.

The DPWI under Minister Dean Macpherson has set an ambitious plan to transforming the country into a hive of construction activity to drive economic recovery, job creation and scale up service delivery. In addition to this Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana’s announcement during the Budget Speech, that government will invest approximately R1 trillion in infrastructure over the medium term. A task team composed of technical experts from all provinces has been assembled to develop terms of reference on this approach to be presented at the upcoming gathering of Public Works and Infrastructure political heavyweights to be held in September 2025.

The Minister has called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to urgently broaden their investigation to include:

• The attempted bribery of Myburgh
• Possible bribery of other journalists and political parties
• The use of coordinated social media bot campaigns
• The role of public commentators and media houses in spreading disinformation

Macpherson further addressed the misinformation campaign that falsely accused him of paying journalists, including Myburgh, to report negatively on the IDT. He dismissed the claims as a smear effort led by individuals implicated in corruption. “The truth is that those complicit in corruption were instead attempting to bribe journalists. I have no doubt that in some cases, they were successful,” he said.