From Messy Divorce to Playing Candy Crush in Parliament: 5 Malusi Gigaba Scandals and Antics That Went Viral
- Former South African minister Malusi Nkanyezi Gigaba has served in ministerial positions under two presidents in the republic
- The controversial Gigaba has been in the spotlight in the media for various reasons outside his duties as a politician
- From the public drama between him and his ex-wife Norma Mngoma to quoting Kendrick Lamar, Briefly News takes a look at some of the scandals and funny moments that the statesman has been involved in
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Source: Getty Images
Malusi Knowledge Nkanyezi Gigaba served as Minister of Home Affairs from 2018 to 2019 and as Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2018. He is a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee and a patron of the OASIS for Hope Hospice. He was appointed a ministerial representative to the University of Potchefstroom by former Minister of Education, Prof. Kader Asmal in 2001.
Born in Eshowe, South Africa, Gigaba was born on 30 August, 1971, and he has grown to be a noticeable political figure in the Republic of South Africa. The calm and articulate Malusi has been privileged to serve in ministerial positions under two presidents in the republic.
The politician has had his fair share of drama and scandals that made headlines on South African news.
From his turbulent marriage to ex-wife Norma Mngoma, leaked tapes, to allegations of associations with the Guptas, Briefly News looks at five scandalous moments that put Gigaba's dirty laundry out for all to bear witness.
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1. Gigaba accused of being in cahoots with the Gupta family
Malusi Gigaba's former wife Norma Mngoma alleged that he used to receive wads of cash from the Gupta family after visiting their compound in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, The Sowetan reported.
Mngoma made the allegation in an exclusive interview with eNCA, in which she said that Gigaba would bring the cash home and use it for different things, such as his lifestyle, building his house, and giving it to his sister. She also said that the Guptas had helped to support Gigaba's wedding and honeymoon financially.
Source: Getty Images
The Sunday Times Daily reported that Gigaba's former protector and bodyguard had told the state capture commission that the former minister had received cash from the Gupta family. This cash was used, among other things, to buy Gigaba's suits.
Gigaba denied the allegations, referring to them as "baseless" and "malicious".
According to the Mail & Guardian, Melusi rubbished Norma's claims, explaining that he carried a small "man bag", big enough for money for parking, technological essentials and some hand lotion.
“I had no empty brown or black leather bag that was waiting for stacks of cash so that they stayed in the boot of my car,” he added.
Gigaba said Mngoma's testimony was inaccurate, including the bag alternately being black and brown, but designed to convey a simple falsehood that he took stacks of cash from the family at the heart of the state capture scandal.
Gigaba added that it was false that she found him packing cash into their private safe and explained that the money was a donation from the family for the ANC's election coffers, the Mail & Guardian reported.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo noted that Mngoma never told the commission that she saw the Guptas place money into her husband’s hands, but rather that after their visits, he would have cash to spend, and, hence, she drew a link.
2. Drama between ex-wife Norma Mngoma plays out in public
Norma Mngoma, the estranged wife of former finance minister Malusi Gigaba, has denied that her divorce was motivated by her appearance at the state capture commission.
Source: Getty Images
According to The Citizen, Mngoma told the commission that she had initiated the divorce process for personal reasons. She said that she wanted the divorce to be settled amicably and in private and was disappointed that Gigaba had filed for divorce in the media.
Mngoma also dismissed Gigaba'shusband's claim that she had threatened to appear at the commission if he did not pay her a settlement and drop the charges against her. She said that her appearance at the commission was never linked to her divorce and that she would have appeared regardless of the outcome of her divorce proceedings.
Mngoma's testimony at the state capture commission has been highly critical of Gigaba. She has alleged that he received financial and other benefits from the Gupta family and used his position as finance minister to benefit the family's business interests.
Gigaba denied all of Mngoma's allegations. He further accused her of being a "liar".
This was after Mngoma was arrested in July 2020 after allegedly causing extensive damage to a multimillion-rand Mercedes-Benz driven by Gigaba.
3. Gigaba caught with his pants down in leaked video
Political sex scandals are nothing new and have been around for years.
In 2018, there were reports that a video of a sexual nature featuring then-Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba was circulating on social media.
Gigaba himself confirmed the existence of the video on Twitter, writing that his phone had been hacked in 2016 or 2017 and the video, which was meant for his wife, had been stolen. He alleged that the video had been used to blackmail him.
The video has since dominated headlines and chatter on social media, which raised questions about public and private morality, according to News24.
TimesLive reported that Gigaba extended the apology to his family and the "South African public for the pain and embarrassment the likely wider distribution of this private material will cause."
4. Gigaba enjoys a game of Candy Crush during parliamentary proceedings
In 2018, News24 journalist Jan Gerber took a picture showing Gigaba playing a Candy Crush-style game on his tablet while ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu was speaking during the presidential election.
Source: Twitter
The caption reads:
"Malusi Gigaba still playing his game, even though ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu is speaking."
Twitter quickly picked up the image, and soon, people started guessing which game it was.
Most users thought it was Candy Crush, and some said they understood because the game was "so addictive".
5. Gigaba quotes Kendrick Lamar in 2018 budget speech
EWN reported that the then finance minister Malusi Gigaba quoted US rapper Kendrick Lamar's song "Alright" in his first national budget speech before the National Assembly.
Gigaba called Treasury's opus:
"A tough but hopeful budget."
He said that despite the challenges facing the country, South Africans would:
"Be right, we gon' be alright."
Some saw Gigaba's use of Lamar's lyrics as a sign of hope and optimism, while others criticised it as being out of touch with the reality of many South Africans.
Whatever the case, Gigaba's decision to quote Lamar was a clear attempt to connect with young people and show that he understood their concerns.
State capture commission recommends Malusi Gigaba be probed based on ex-wife's testimony
In another story, Briefly News reported that the state capture commission of inquiry has called for an investigation into former Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba following the release of the corrected version of the report.
The commission made the recommendation based on claims made by Gigaba's estranged wife, Nomachule Mngoma, who testified that he was involved in the state capture. In the correct version of the report, an analysis of the evidence of both Gigaba and Mngoma provided last year was included.
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Source: Briefly News
