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IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka was placed on precautionary suspension after a forensic report found she failed to act on red flags in an R836 million oxygen plant tender.
- The SA National Editors Forum (SANEF) said it was shocked by an alleged bribe offering to investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh by the suspended IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka.
- The organisation said the brazen nature of the “bribery” attempt was shocking.
- SANEF urged members of the public, as well as public officials, who have knowledge or evidence of attempts or bribery incidents involving journalists, to come forward and report it.
The SA National Editors Forum (SANEF) has condemned an alleged attempt to bribe Daily Maverick investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh by suspended Independent Development Trust (IDT) CEO Tebogo Malaka and her spokesperson.
A report by Myburgh – that he was offered a bribe to quash an investigation into the Independent Development Trust, an organisation with a budget of billions of rands of government money – “was shocking”, SANEF said in a Thursday statement.
SANEF added that it was especially shocking that the Malaka, was prepared to pay R60 000 upfront for Myburgh to cease his investigation into an IDT contract and one of Malaka’s upmarket properties,
SANEF said “another sweetener” was when IDT spokesperson Phasha Makgolane, told Myburgh that he could put forward his preferred suppliers for lucrative contracts and arrange a cut for himself.
“The lengths to which a public official went to cover up their wrongdoing were staggering” it said.
SANEF added:
The apparent comfort and ease with which Makgolane arranged the meetings with Myburgh to brazenly discuss a bribe – a criminal act – suggests perhaps that this was not the first time this was done.
SANEF further condemned “any attempt to bribe any journalist”.
“This is a grave threat to the credibility of the news media in South Africa and cannot be tolerated. SANEF takes strong exception to any attempt to bribe journalists or cause them to halt their work.
“SANEF urges members of the public, as well as officials, who have knowledge or evidence of attempts or bribery incidents involving journalists, to come forward and report it by opening a case with the SAPS and reporting it to SANEF as well.”
CEO suspension
News24 reported that on Friday, the IDT board announced that it had suspended Malaka, following damning findings of an independent investigation into tender fraud pertaining to an R800 million oxygen plant programme for around 55 hospitals.
READ | IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka suspended after R836m tender scandal probe
Myburgh first reported that a “ghost company” obtained the oxygen tender in October last year.
Daily Maverick and investigative outfit amaBhungane also published further articles.
Myburgh has subsequently also taken an interest in Malaka’s property dealings. On Wednesday, Daily Maverick reported that Malaka and Makgolane, offered Myburgh a R60 000 bribe, and that the exchange was caught on video.
Myburgh was allegedly also previously offered the chance to bring his own contractors to the IDT for tenders. Neither Malaka nor Makgolane responded to Daily Maverick’s requests for comment.
SANEF media ethics inquiry
After the 2021 report on Media Ethics and Credibility by Judge Kathy Satchwell, commissioned by SANEF in 2020, SANEF announced it had launched an Ethics Barometer.
SANEF said the barometer was built by the Democracy Works Foundation.
“The survey, first completed by editors in 2024, aims to gather data on the ethical state of journalism in South Africa. The barometer has been sent out for completion in 2025, and its results will be made known.”
