Beleaguered former South African Airways (SAA) board chair Dudu Myeni returns to the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Wednesday where she is expected to plead guilty to her obstruction of the administration of justice case.
As reported by EWN, these charges against Myeni stem from her comment revealing the identity of a protected witness – “Mr X” – live on camera during the Zondo State Capture Commission of inquiry in November 2020.
Despite being cautioned not to by Commission Chair and newly announced Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo, and that the witness would remain anonymous, she then repeated the name she assumed to be “Mr X”.
According to the Daily Maverick, “Mr X” had implicated her in allegedly laundering money out of the Mhlatuze Water Board for which she was the chairperson, as well as in deliberately misdirecting funds from the R2 million housing contract from the Mpumalanga government.
Zondo announced the commission was opening a criminal case against Myeni that same month, and this March Myeni was finally officially charged and summoned to appear in court.
Myeni has been fighting ever since to wriggle out of the charges she’s facing. She previously made representations to the office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions to reconsider trying her but these were unsuccessful.
But in a dramatic turn of events at her last brief appearance at court in June, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, said Myeni would be negotiating a plea and sentencing agreement with the state.
The National Prosecuting Authority previously indicated that it was hopeful this process would be concluded by today. Whether it will be, remains to be seen though.
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