SANEF Shocked by Bribe Offering to a Journalist by a Suspended CEO of an Organisation Mired in corruption allegations

07 August 2025

The report by Daily Maverick journalist, Pieter-Louis Myburgh, that he was offered a bribe to quash an investigation into the Independent Development Trust, an organisation with a budget of billions of rands of government money, was shocking.

What was especially shocking was that the suspended IDT CEO, Tebogo Malaka, was prepared to pay R60,000 up front for Myburgh to cease his investigation into an IDT contract and one of Malaka’s upmarket properties.

However, that was just the beginning of the financial inducements on offer.

Another sweetener, allegedly proposed by IDT spokesperson Phasha Makgolane, was that Myburgh could put forward his preferred suppliers for lucrative contracts and arrange a cut for himself. The lengths to which a public official went to cover up their wrongdoing were staggering.

The apparent comfort and ease with which Makgolane arranged the meetings with Myburgh to brazenly discuss a bribe – a criminal act – suggests perhaps that this was not the first time this was done.

SANEF condemns this attempt to bribe Myburgh, as well as any attempt to bribe any journalist. This is a grave threat to the credibility of the news media in South Africa and cannot be tolerated.

In the wake of the Independent Panel Report following the Inquiry into Media Ethics and Credibility headed by Judge Kathy Satchwell, which SANEF commissioned around 2020 and which was published in 2021, SANEF commissioned an Ethics Barometer.

The barometer was built by the Democracy Works Foundation. The survey, first completed by editors in 2024, aims to gather data on the ethical state of journalism in South Africa. The barometer has been sent out for completion in 2025, and its results will be made known.

SANEF takes strong exception to any attempt to bribe journalists or cause them to halt their work.

SANEF urges members of the public, as well as officials, who have knowledge or evidence of attempts or bribery incidents involving journalists, to come forward and report it by opening a case with the SAPS and reporting it to SANEF as well.

SANEF would like to commend Pieter-Louis for exposing the attempt to bribe him.

Note to Editors:

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism by fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research, and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.

For more information, please contact:

Makhudu Sefara – Chairperson (079) 177-2134

Tshamano Makhadi – Deputy Chairperson (082) 223-0621

Glenda Daniels – Secretary-General (083) 229-9708

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Sli Khanyile – Media Freedom Chair (083) 471-0367

Katy Katopodis – Wellness and Safety Chair (082) 805-7022

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