EFF Secretary General Marshall Dlamini will today (Wednesday) open a criminal case against Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean MacPherson. Yesterday NGO Right to Justice Chair Siphesihle Jele opened a case against MacPherson at the Hillbrow Police Station in Johannesburg. This follows an investigation by The Star last week which revealed that MacPheson allegedly sent IDT staff member Linet Barnes an email pressuring her to facilitate a payment to a contractor.

The Star found that on 9 December 2024, MacPherson wrote an email to Barnes, a Programme Manager at the Independent Development Trust (IDT) instructing her to make payment to Lonerock Construction.

According to its website Lonerock Construction “employs 800 people and has a fleet of over 200 units of plants. Since opening its doors in 1980, Lonerock Construction has grown to be a construction company with an annual turnover of more than R500 million, with between 8 and 12 projects running at any one particular time.”

Jele was the former advisor to Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has come guns blazing for MacPherson.

“The minister acted unduly when he pressured a junior staff member to make payments to a preferred company. He acted against the PFMA”

“On the Global Fund matter we believe that the minister misled the nation by saying he met the IDT board and CEO. We believe that his cancelling of the oxygen tender was influenced by personal ambition and ethnic hatred. If the recipients of the much needed oxygen were white, he would not have acted in this fashion.” he said.

Jele has alleged that they have a whistle blower statement alleging to “deeply concerning” communications between the minister and a reporter.

“The facts we have at our disposal prove the minister to have mislead the nation. We believe this to be a coordinated attempt on the part of the minister to collapse the IDT board and fire the CEO without justification. Any intention to collapse the work of government must be fought. We call on police to investigate the deeply concerning allegations that the minister has been “working with” a journalist, notably the same journalist that has always reported pro-MacPherson and anti-DTI propaganda. This action by the minister would occupy the definition of bribery” Jele said.

Circulating on X yesterday were screenshots of conversations allegedly between the journalist and the reporter.

The EFF through a statement yesterday accused MacPherson of using the department of serve white interest.

“We strongly condemn the brazen and corrupt interference by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, in the affairs of the Independent Development Trust (IDT). His actions not only undermine the integrity of this vital entity but also expose the Democratic Alliance's (DA) true intentions to use state institutions to serve the interests of white minority capital.”

“In December Minister Macpherson sent an email to a Programme Manager at the IDT, instructing her to facilitate payment to Lonerock Construction. This company was appointed by the IDT to rehabilitate sinkholes at Waterkloof Airforce Base as part of a project managed on behalf of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPI). The payment in question was linked to a variation order exceeding 20% of the project's original scope. As per regulations, such changes required approval from National Treasury and the DPI before the IDT could process any payments. Despite the IDT staff explaining these necessary steps to the contractor, Lonerock Construction continued to press for immediate payment. Rather than addressing these procedural concerns through proper channels, Minister Macpherson bypassed the IDT's executive leadership and board, choosing instead to email a junior staff member to demand a report on the payment delays. This direct intervention blurred the lines of authority and undermined the ID's established governance structures” the statement said.

“One of the most pressing issues currently facing the IDT is the alleged irregularities surrounding an R800 million tender for the installation of PS Oxygen Plants at 55 public hospitals across South Africa. The IDT, acting as the implementing agent for the Department of Health, reportedly followed due process, receiving approval and funding confirmation from the Global Fund. However, Minister Macpherson has used this tender as a pretext for instituting investigations, while simultaneously issuing directives that favour white contractors. Rather than addressing the pressing concerns of the IDT-including its inability to pay dozens of small and black contractors--Minister Macpherson has chosen to focus on investigating alleged irregularities while simultaneously directing payments to a white-owned contractor. This selective intervention raises serious questions about his motives and demonstrates a blatant disregard for the principles of fairness and equity. The DA has long claimed to represent good governance, transparency, and the rule of law. However, under its leadership, we see a troubling replication of state capture practices, where powerful figures manipulate state institutions for personal and political gain. Minister Macpherson's alleged actions going so far as to bypass the CEO of the IDT and interfere directly with operations-are nothing short of an abuse of power” the statement further said.

Andile Mngxitama and the uMkhonto Wesizwe party are expected to also open a case against MacPherson this week. The party legal engine, former judge president John Hlophe is expected to provide direction on the actions to be taken against

Responding to The Star’s questions, MacPherson’s spokesperson James De Villiers said: “The issue of repeated non-payment by the IDT for services rendered by Lonerock Construction was raised to the Minister by the head of the project management office, Rudi Dicks, from the Presidency in October 2024”

The Star

sifiso.mahlangu@inl.co.za