‘This is a lie, a blue lie, actually; there is no such thing..’, Nzimande on Mdwaba’s R500m bribe allegations

Lerato Mbhiza

Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande, has laid a criminal complaint against businessman Thuja Holdings CEO Mthunzi Mdwaba, at the Brooklyn Police Station for his failure to report corruption to law enforcement authorities.

This is in relation to the allegations that Mdwaba made earlier this month against Nzimande and two ministers who allegedly attempted to solicit a bribe of R500 million from him.

Mdwaba alleged that Nzimande, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, and the ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula were among those who sought to bribe him to give the green light to his R5 billion seed funding from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

All the ministers and Mbalula have denied the allegations and threatened legal action against Mdwaba if he did not issue a statement of apology.

Addressing the media outside the police station, Nzimande described Mdwaba’s allegations as a blue lie.

“I have