WATCH LIVE | State capture inquiry to continue hearing evidence related to Transnet

The state capture inquiry will on Thursday continue to hear evidence related to Transnet.

The inquiry heard on Wednesday that Transnet agreed to pay former executive Siyabonga Gama’s legal costs despite a cost order that he should in fact pay the SOE.

Commission chair deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo heard the revelation from Siyabulela Mapoma, a former head of legal services at Transnet. Mapoma was testifying about events around Gama’s sacking as CEO of Transnet Freight Rail in 2010. Gama would end up being brought back into the company a few months later.

Gama was fired at the time after a disciplinary inquiry found him guilty of three counts of misconduct. Gama had the previous year lost a court battle in an attempt to block the disciplinary inquiry against him.

The judgment that dismissed this attempt ordered that he pay Transnet's costs and those of board members he had cited in the application. But when Gama returned to the logistics SOE, an “unusual” unfair dismissal settlement worked out between him and Transnet decreed that Gama was to be paid 75% of the legal costs that were due to Transnet, as per the court order.

TimesLIVE