Embattled State Security Minister Bongani Bongo says jealous ANC leaders are after him, and that's why he was being accused of bribery, according to The Sowetan.
In an interview with The Sowetan, Bongo said instead of celebrating that President Jacob Zuma had appointed someone younger to his Cabinet, many ANC members were jealous of him.
Bongo has recently been accused of trying to bribe the parliamentary evidence leader from the Parliamentary inquiry into state capture at Eskom, Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara, in an attempt to collapse the inquiry.
Last weekend, The Sunday Times reported that in an affidavit seen by the paper, Vanara said Bongo claimed he was sent by acting Eskom board chair, Zethembe Khoza, when he offered the bribe. Khoza denied having ever met Bongo.
Vanara reportedly said he was offered a blank cheque to make the inquiry go away by resigning or faking an illness.
Bongo told The Sowetan that he had met "that chap about 15 weeks ago when I was a member of Parliament to discuss legal issues as he is a lawyer and I'm one too. I never promised him money or anything. To my surprise, just when I was appointed a minister, he writes an affidavit. But the process is now in the hands of the ethics committee in Parliament. I will give the process my attention to see who is lying here."
On Tuesday, Zuma said he met with National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete to discuss the bribery allegations. Zuma said he was "attending to the matter", Fin24 reported.