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- Former minister Malusi Gigaba has denied the allegations made by a witness at the Zondo commission.
- The unnamed witness said on Thursday that Gigaba went on a suit shopping spree in Sandton after going to the Gupta compound.
- Gigaba says he wants to cross-examine the witness.
Former finance minister Malusi Gigaba has denied allegations heard at the Zondo commission into state capture, where an unnamed witness claimed he had bought suits in cash after visiting the Guptas.
According to testimony on Thursday, some of the tailored suits worn by Gigaba were allegedly paid for in cash he received from the Guptas, his former protector and driver told the commission, Fin24 reported.
The witness, whose identity was not revealed, told the inquiry headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo he was seconded in June 2013 from Transnet to join Gigaba's security detail.
He escorted the then-minister on trips to the Gupta's expansive compound in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, about six to seven times between July and December 2013.
"At some point, the minister would carry a large sum of cash with him … one day I was with the minister when he opened the boot of his official vehicle to take out money to buy lunch for us. Inside the boot there was a bag which he opened, and there was a bundle of cash in it, in R200 notes," said the witness who gave evidence off-site.
In a statement released on Friday, Gigaba hit back, saying he intended to cross-examine the witness.
"Yesterday, evidence was led at the state capture commission of inquiry by three unidentified witnesses. Witness 3 made allegations in which he seeks to implicate me in some wrongdoing.
"Witness 3 made spurious allegations against me. I strongly deny any suggestion or insinuation that there is anything unlawful that I did. I am in the process of preparing an affidavit in response to the allegations of Witness 3 and have also instructed my legal representatives to simultaneously apply to the chairperson of the commission for leave to cross-examine Witness 3."
Gigaba added it was "undesirable to engage the merits of the allegations" in matters still before the commission, and would therefore limit his statement to that, and not take any questions.
- Compiled by Paul Herman
