Exclusive Video: Suspended IDT CEO, spokesperson offer Daily Maverick journalist R60K in cash to quash investigation

Pleas to drop an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption, a R60,000 cash offer, and promises of more rewards if the journalist agreed to cooperate — all caught on camera. 

Daily Maverick can today release exclusive video footage and audio clips from a meeting this journalist had with the Independent Development Trust’s (IDT’s) recently suspended CEO, Tebogo Malaka, and the entity’s spokesperson, Phasha Makgolane. 

The meeting took place on Sunday, 3 August, at a restaurant on a well-known wine farm near Stellenbosch. Malaka and Makgolane presented the money in an apparent attempt to cover up an ongoing Daily Maverick investigation involving an IDT contract and one of Malaka’s upmarket properties. 

Previous interactions between this journalist and the IDT’s spokesperson strongly suggested that Malaka wished to “settle” the issue relating to her property, by paying us off.

What Malaka told Daily Maverick at Sunday’s meeting appears to back this up.

Instead of rebuffing Makgolane’s advances, we saw them as a unique opportunity to possibly document high-level skullduggery involving a key state-owned entity’s CEO.

The IDT, a very important if lesser known government body, spends upwards of R4-billion each year on social infrastructure projects, like building schools and clinics. 

Daily Maverick has been investigating the IDT’s affairs since October 2024, when we first reported on the entity’s R836-million oxygen plants scandal. 

Our revelations led to the recently-concluded PwC investigation, which prompted the IDT’s board to place Malaka on precautionary suspension. 

However, the oxygen plants debacle wasn’t Malaka’s only headache. Daily Maverick has also been looking into Malaka’s property dealings and her alleged ties to an IDT contractor. It is the latter issue that seemingly drove Malaka to offer cash to this journalist.

First meeting 

In early June of this year, Makgolane unexpectedly messaged this journalist on WhatsApp. I had only recently returned home after a work trip for my investigation into Malaka’s property. It stands to reason that word of my enquiries may have reached Malaka’s ears.

The IDT spokesperson said he had a “very sensitive matter” to discuss with me, and that the meeting would be “in preparation” for another meeting, one which his boss, Malaka, would also attend. My suspicions only grew when the IDT spokesperson said that he and his boss wanted to discuss “mutual matters” with me. 

I agreed to take the first meeting with Makgolane. However, unbeknown to him, I informed my editor and deputy editor of his approach. We agreed that I should meet Makgolane and hear him out.

On Friday, 6 June, Makgolane flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town. He met me at a restaurant on a wine farm outside Stellenbosch. Our discussion quickly turned to Malaka, and to Daily Maverick’s reporting on the IDT’s affairs. 

Makgolane said my work was “problematic” for them and that they could do with some more positive coverage.

If I agreed to “work” with them, I could earn regular cash payments of R100,000, Makgolane promised. But the much larger boon would come in the form of IDT contracts. I could nominate my own contractors for lucrative IDT tenders and take my cut from them, the spokesperson suggested. 

This first meeting was not recorded, so Makgolane could very well deny that he had said any of this. However, the record will show that on Monday, 9 June, the IDT spokesperson sent me a bid document on WhatsApp, for an upcoming IDT tender in the Western Cape. “Please check and share with contractors,” wrote Makgolane.

It was agreed during our first meeting that we would soon have another face-to-face, one that Malaka would also attend. Makgolane indicated that they would bring with them a “token” or “show of faith”. The context left little doubt that Makgolane was referring to some sort of inducement. Daily Maverick decided that we would string the would-be bribers along, so that we could hopefully catch them in the act.

Weeks of planning

We subsequently briefed our attorneys on everything that had transpired. In the weeks that followed, we deposed to sworn affidavits, briefed a well-known advocate for further legal cover, and roped in a security and forensics firm to handle the surveillance and related logistics.

After weeks of anxious preparation, my meeting with Malaka and Makgolane finally arrived. They flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Sunday morning, 3 August. We met at the same restaurant where I had sat down with Makgolane in June. 

It didn’t take all that long for us to broach the more sensitive topics at hand, including those relating to Malaka’s property. 

However, it seemed that even Makgolane wasn’t privy to some of the issues I had been looking into. 

At one point, Malaka asked Makgolane to leave the table. 

“Some of the things I can’t speak about in front of Phasha, as much as I trust him. I’m his boss,” she explained. 

She then made it clear that she wanted Daily Maverick to abandon its investigations into her affairs.

“I want it closed. I don’t want you to be writing about it, but also I don’t know how to make a proposal,” urged the suspended CEO. Later, she added, “From my side, I don’t want anything, even more coming out.”

When Makgolane returned to the table, he mentioned that our previous reporting on the IDT had harmed Malaka. 

However, the IDT spokesperson suggested that we need not be enemies.

“We are human beings. At some point our interests will converge. And once those interests converge, how do we then move forward along that conversion?” he pondered.

We then discussed the IDT’s “portfolio”. This was in relation to Makgolane’s earlier promise that I could tap into IDT tenders. 

Given Malaka’s precautionary suspension over the oxygen plants fiasco, I asked if this part of the arrangement was still possible.

“It can be,” answered Malaka. “Not long term. But … let’s see how the environment turns out. But for now the goodwill will still do whilst we are working towards … ja.”

The word “goodwill” had also popped up in some of my earlier discussions with Makgolane. Considering the context, there is little doubt that Malaka and Makgolane were referring to the cash inducements they intended to share with me.

Sixty thousand in a Dior bag 

Seeing as the conversation had now reached this point, I pointedly asked Malaka and Makgolane how much money they had brought with them. 

“Sixty,” responded Malaka. 

A few moments later, Makgolane removed a white Dior shopping bag from his leather satchel and placed the bag in the middle of our table. I reached for the bag. After struggling with the packaging for a bit, I removed a sizeable stack of R200 notes, all held together by several elastic bands. I then photographed the money with my cellphone, telling Makgolane and Malaka that I was doing this “for my records”. 

Once I had taken the pictures, I put the money back into the Dior bag and broke the bad news to Malaka and Makgolane: I would neither be taking the money, I explained to them, nor did I ever intend to. I merely wanted to see if they would actually go through with the arrangement.

I placed the cash between Malaka and Makgolane, gathered my belongings and then simply walked away from the table. 

Malaka and Makgolane were not going to hang around either.  

Makgolane collected the money and stuffed it into his coat.

The duo then stood up and quickly walked away from the restaurant area.

Daily Maverick approached Malaka for her comment on Sunday's meeting. She acknowledged our queries, but said she could only respond later today.

Makgolane also couldn't comment before our deadline.

“Your questions are received. Unfortunately, I am unable to meet your deadline as I have other commitments. I can only comprehensively respond to your allegations by Thursday COB,” said the IDT’s spokesperson. DM

Next week, Daily Maverick will publish the first instalment in our months-long investigation into Malaka’s property.

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