Macpherson acts against suspended IDT CEO and spokesperson

By Akani Nkuna

Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson has laid criminal charges against the suspended CEO of the Independent Development Trust (IDT), Tebogo Malaka, and the entity’s spokesperson Phasha Makgolane, following an alleged attempt by the duo to buy a journalist’s silence with cash.

Macpherson noted that the allegations were disturbing and continued to feed into the mistrust citizens had about public entities.

He told reporters on Thursday that their actions constituted an assault on government’s efforts to provide services.

“These allegations remain deeply disturbing. They are not just a criminal act, but an assault to the institutional framework of government to provide services to the people of South Africa, especially in the social infrastructure space that the IDT is responsible for,” he said.

“Attempting to bribe a journalist to bury the truth is an attack not only on the free press, but on our democracy. It is an attempt