Brian Molefe and Co-accused Charged With Fraud and Corruption, SA Outraged Over R50k Bail Amount

• Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Siyabonga Gama, and Thamsanqa Jiyane appeared in court facing charges of fraud and corruption
• The men, who were employed at Transnet, appeared in court in connection with a deal to procure locomotives in 2011
• South Africans weighed in on the court appearance of the four men, especially that of uMkhonto weSizwe member, Brian Molefe

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG - The case against four former senior Transnet employees has been postponed to 6 October 2025.

Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Siyabonga Gama, and Thamsanqa Jiyane appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court, facing 18 charges related to a locomotive deal that was featured in the State capture reports.

The four were granted bail of R50,000 each during their appearance in court on 30 June 2025.

What are the accused charged with?

Henry Mamothame, the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson, confirmed to Briefly News that the men were facing 18 charges, including fraud, corruption, and the Contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

He stated that the charges stemmed from a deal to procure locomotives in 2011 to expand the country’s rail infrastructure. The four men, who held senior positions at the State-Owned Entity, allegedly appointed a Chinese company to provide 95 locomotives. The company not only didn’t qualify for the tender, but the price was also inflated. That was the first of three times that Transnet made use of the Chinese company, with all three deals inflated.

Who are the four accused?

The four men all held key positions at the time, and it was their duty to perform due diligence.

Molefe, currently a member of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, was the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Transnet, while Singh was the Group Chief Financial Officer (GCFO). Gama was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while Jiyane was the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) in the Transport Freight Rail (TFR) division within Transnet. Gama and Molefe handed themselves over to police ahead of their appearance in court. Both men were sworn in as MK Party members in August 2024.

Molefe, Gama, Singh and Garry Pita appeared in court over the same matter in October 2022.

What do South Africans think about the suspects getting bail?

Social media users weighed in on the news, especially the amount of bail compared to the millions that were allegedly looted in the corrupt deals.

Gregg Smith said:

“But if a poor man steals a chicken, they throw the book at him.”

Inno Vilakati stated:

“Using the same alleged stolen funds for freedom. Typical.”

Pumzile Pika added:

“While they stole our money, they're going to be protected by comrades.

Bro Mish said:

“And they will pay fast, but they were pretending like they can't afford it.”

Michael Goosen asked:

“Why grant them bail? If it were us, we would sit in prison.”

Mfanasibili Bibi Mazibuko

Jail is for the poor, not for the rich. The bail is too small for the alleged crime committed.”

Linda Craigli stated:

“Using stolen money for bail. What a corrupt bunch we are stuck with.”

Transnet reports losses of R7 billion

Briefly News reported in September 2024 that Transnet's financial losses for the current financial year increased.

The State-Owned Entity lost R5.1 billion in the previous year, with the figure rising to R7 billion in the following year.

South Africans discussed what is happening in Transnet, and some commented on the employees' work ethic.

Source: Briefly News