He hero-worshipped Jacob Zuma for years, but former government spin doctor Themba Maseko is willing to put his life on the line by placing the former president at the centre of the state capture scandal when he takes the stand during the state capture commission.
“For me, it was a question of exposing the malfeasance,” Maseko said.
“I have come to realise that he [Zuma] was a corrupt man right from the beginning.”
He said he had not spoken to Zuma since exposing his alleged involvement in the scandal that is estimated to have cost SA more than R100bn.
For six years, the former Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head thought he was the only one who was being bullied by the Gupta family to unlawfully facilitate deals with the state.
But when former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas came forward in 2016 to confirm that the family had offered him the job of finance minister and a R600m bribe in exchange for diverting government deals to them, Maseko was emboldened to speak out about his experience in 2010.
“When I saw the Mcebisi matter – that they offered him R600m and demanded that he gives them certain things – I realised that maybe I was taking this thing too personal[ly],” he said in an interview last week.
“For me, the Jonas statement brought it home. It’s bigger than me – it’s a campaign to loot the state and I felt I needed to talk about it.”
Maseko is in the first round of witnesses called to give evidence before the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture starting on Monday.
His testimony is critical in placing Zuma at the centre of the Guptas scoring lucrative deals from the state.
Zuma allegedly told Maseko in a telephone conversation in 2010, while Maseko was en route to a meeting with the Guptas at their Saxonworld home: “My brother, there are these Gupta guys that need to meet with you and who need your help. Please help them.”
The Sunday Times reported that Zuma has been asked by the commission whether he used information he obtained as president to help enrich himself and the Guptas.
Maseko is expected to start testifying before the inquiry on August 31 about how Ajay Gupta allegedly threatened to speak to his seniors in government to “sort him out or replace him” because he refused to co-operate with his demands that GCIS advertising spend be diverted to the Gupta-owned New Age newspaper.
Months later, in February 2011, Maseko was removed as head of GCIS. He recalled a cabinet meeting in Pretoria: “There was a tea break. I go outside, then I get a call from the office to say that journalists are trying to get hold of me to say ‘you’ve been fired’.
And eNews was running a story.
“I go to my minister, Collins Chabane, and say this is the story, he says no, he doesn’t know, he will check.
“He went to the president and the president confirmed that ‘ja, it’s true’.
“And Collins came back to me and said it was true.”Maseko said it was difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that an ANC leader whom he hero-worshipped as a student activist could do something as bad as alleged.
He said when he decided to come forward with his story in 2016, he had panicked about how people would react, but he did not regret it.
“I never thought it would get this far – giving evidence before the commission and even possibly a trial, if there is a trial – because this may lead to prosecutions,” he said.
Maseko was approached by investigators working for the commission soon after it was formed and gave a statement.
He had several other meetings as investigators tried to corroborate the chronology of events that took place eight years ago.
While there are no call records or vehicle tracking information because of the time lapse, the commission may go to the Rev Frank Chikane and former president Kgalema Motlanthe, both of whom Maseko told about the incident after it allegedly happened.
He also reported the matter to the now deceased Chabane.
Maseko gave a statement to former public protector Thuli Madonsela and former ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe who, in 2016, called on people to come forward with information on state capture.
Maseko was the only one prepared to give a written submission.
“I know that many people in the ANC knew that this sh*t was happening,” he said. “They were scared to talk. “Zuma had become so powerful that people were literally scared to speak.
“There were murmurings and whispers but very few, if any, were prepared to speak up.”