Former Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Thabang Makwetla has been released on R10,000 bail after appearing in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, 1 October 2025.
He faces charges of fraud and corruption linked to benefits allegedly received from the controversial company Bosasa.
According to the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), the case stems from security upgrades worth about R350,000 carried out at Makwetla’s private home in 2015.
Prosecutors allege Bosasa paid for the upgrades, which included advanced security features, while Makwetla failed to declare the benefit to Parliament as required by law.
Under the Members of Parliament Code of Ethical Conduct, MPs must disclose all gifts, payments, or benefits they receive.
“His repeated failure to disclose this material benefit to Parliament over four years violated his legal and ethical duty under the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests,” IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame said.
Makwetla faces charges under South Africa’s Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA) and fraud charges. PRECCA is a law designed to fight corruption by making it a crime to give or receive improper benefits in exchange for influence or favours.
The former deputy minister’s case has been postponed to 4 November 2025, when the docket will be disclosed to his legal team. This will allow them to prepare for trial.
Makwetla, a long-time ANC member, is the latest in a series of high-profile figures accused of benefiting from Bosasa, a company once central to government contracting.
Bosasa, later renamed African Global Operations, was liquidated in 2019 after explosive testimony at the Zondo Commission revealed widespread bribery and corruption.
Whistleblower Angelo Agrizzi testified that Bosasa executives bribed politicians, officials, and even prosecutors to secure state contracts and avoid prosecution.
Other senior figures linked to Bosasa’s benefits include former President Jacob Zuma, ministers Gwede Mantashe and Nomvula Mokonyane, and several top prosecutors. The Zondo Commission concluded in 2022 that corruption was essentially Bosasa’s “way of doing business.”
In Makwetla’s case, prosecutors argue that by accepting and not declaring the upgrades, he undermined parliamentary accountability. He has not yet entered a formal plea, and his legal team is expected to contest the charges when the case resumes.