By Ebi Kesiena
South African Cabinet Minister Zizi Kodwa, a senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), has been arrested and appeared in court over bribery allegations on Wednesday.
Police allege that Kodwa, 54, accepted bribes totaling around $90,000. He was arraigned in a Johannesburg courtroom alongside another suspect and has stated his intention to plead not guilty.
Kodwa is a member of the ANC’s National Working Committee, which is currently engaged in discussions on forming a new government after the party lost its 30-year majority in the recent election. The ANC, which secured only 40% of the vote, has yet to announce potential coalition partners.
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The bribery allegations against Kodwa dates back to a 2021 judicial inquiry into widespread government corruption involving ANC officials. At the time, Kodwa was the national spokesperson for the ANC and later served as deputy minister of state security. Police claim that part of the bribes was used to purchase a luxury SUV.
This scandal is part of a broader issue of government corruption that contributed to the ANC’s loss of its parliamentary majority. South Africans, disillusioned by corruption, shifted their support away from the ANC, forcing the party into coalition negotiations.
