Kodwa graft allegations 'damaging'
The corruption allegations levelled against former Sport, Arts & Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa are damaging his reputation.
‘In the eyes of others, he is viewed as a corrupt person. It has cost him his career in Cabinet, his position in Parliament, and you can imagine very few people would treat him (without) suspicion at the moment,’ his lawyer Zola Majavu said yesterday.
News24 reports that his remarks came after Kodwa and his co-accused, former EOH executive Jehan Mackay, appeared in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Palm Ridge.
The pair face corruption charges related to Kodwa allegedly receiving direct payments and luxury accommodation worth R1.6m during his time as ANC national spokesperson between 2015 and 2016.
According to court documents, Mackay effected 14 payments for Kodwa's benefit, either as money transfers to his FNB account or payments for luxury accommodation.
The first payment was allegedly R1m and the last, of R30 000, was allegedly made to Kodwa in February 2016.
During the appearance yesterday, the court heard that Mackay's bid to the head of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit in Johannesburg to have the charges against him dropped had been rejected.
However, Mackay's attorney, Ian Small-Smith, told the court that they had escalated the representations to the DPP for a decision. The state said further particulars previously requested by Majavu had also been provided.
Majavu said they were ‘more than happy’ with the response from the state and were ready to proceed with the trial.
‘We have always been ready from day one. I said that on record on the last occasion. We now know what the game plan is. We are more determined to go on trial now.’
He added: ‘But, obviously, we have to respect the rights of accused number one (Mackay), who is taking the approach that he is. It's a bit disappointing for us because we are ready. Majavo reiterated his duty to protect Kodwa's rights and limit any ‘prejudice’ as best as possible.
The case was postponed to 10 September 2024.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
