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MK party MP Vusi Shongwe has alleged that suspended crime-intelligence deputy head Feroz Khan offered him a R10m bribe. According to Shongwe, the money was meant to halt a parliamentary investigation into Khan and secure information intended to tarnish the image of KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.Shongwe, who serves on the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating corruption in the criminal-justice system — originally sparked by allegations raised by Mkhwanazi — said this on Tuesday while testifying before the Madlanga commission of inquiry, which is probing similar issues.He said his probing of Khan covered several high-profile scandals. These included the Aeroton drugs saga and the alleged cover-ups of the murders of a make-up artist and a medical doctor as well as cigarette-smuggling cases.Shongwe said he had pursued these matters in the ad hoc committee, even questioning forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan and Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Andrea Johnson on why Khan had never been properly investigated. Getting Khan to testify in parliament proved difficult, he said, alleging that other political parties — mainly the EFF, due to Khan’s perceived ties to the party — had blocked the summons.Detailing the events leading to the alleged bribe, Shongwe told the commission that on March 8 he received a call from Lindiwe Xulu, personal assistant to MK party leader Jacob Zuma. Xulu informed him that two people had approached Zuma requesting a meeting with Shongwe. The men were identified as Yusuf Kajee and someone known only as Imran.Assuming the meeting pertained to internal party organisational matters, Shongwe travelled from Cape Town to Durban. On arrival, he met Xulu to gather more details.“I asked her whether she knew who these individuals were and the reason for their request,” Shongwe testified. “She indicated that she was aware of their identities but not the purpose of their visit.”Xulu contacted the two men to let them know Shongwe had arrived, and they arranged to meet at the offices of DRK, a security company in Durban. Shongwe and Xulu arrived together, where they were welcomed by “Imran” and escorted to a boardroom, where Kajee was present.During the conversation, Kajee informed Shongwe that someone wished to speak to him on the phone.“I asked who this person was. They then disclosed the name of this individual as Gen Khan,” Shongwe said.Though Shongwe initially refused, he said he was pressured into taking the video call. When the call connected, a visibly distressed Khan asked Shongwe why he was targeting him. While Khan wasn’t entirely specific, Shongwe knew it related directly to the ad hoc committee’s investigation.Shongwe testified that Khan, appearing red-eyed, tearful and clasping his throat, claimed Shongwe was “suffocating” him. Shongwe said he attempted to de-escalate the situation, assuring Khan that he was not being personally targeted.Khan then allegedly asked Shongwe what it would take to resolve the matter, offering to “take care of him” and inviting him to a meeting at his Sandton apartment the next week.According to Shongwe, Khan offered him a choice: a R2m security tender at Checkers or R10m in cash. The offer also allegedly included two bulletproof BMW vehicles with tinted windows. Shongwe told the commission that he played along and agreed to the R10m cash offer, though he maintained he did not receive any money.As Shongwe and Xulu prepared to leave, Imran allegedly suggested that they could provide damaging information on Mkhwanazi, urging Shongwe to alter his line of questioning in parliament. Shongwe declined to receive the information.“What was running in my mind is: why would Khan call me via their office if he has nothing to hide instead of just coming to the ad hoc committee?” Shongwe testified, adding that he viewed the bribe attempt as an effort to either control or implicate him.The meeting concluded with an agreement that Shongwe would travel to Sandton a week later to collect the R10m and the information on Mkhwanazi. Shongwe said he did not attend the follow-up meeting. Instead, he reported the entire incident to Jacob Zuma the next day. Zuma advised him to expose the matter publicly, leading to Shongwe relaying the events to the ad hoc committee and the Madlanga commission.TimesLIVE
