Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama… former Transnet bosses arrested amid corruption claims — what to know

Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama have been arrested in connection with allegations of corruption related to a controversial R54 billion locomotive procurement deal. The arrests, carried out by South Africa’s Investigating Directorate, form part of a wider crackdown on individuals implicated in the findings of the State Capture Commission.

Molefe, who once served as both the CEO of Transnet and Eskom, alongside Gama, who also held the top role at Transnet, are facing serious charges including fraud, corruption, money laundering, and contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act. These charges stem from their alleged involvement in a procurement process that saw Transnet award tenders for the purchase of over 1,000 locomotives between 2012 and 2015, a contract that ballooned in cost and became central to state capture investigations.

Investigators believe that the process was marred by manipulation, with lucrative advisory components of the tender being unlawfully diverted to companies with alleged links to the Gupta family. Among those entities are Regiments Capital and Trillian, which reportedly received hundreds of millions of rands in irregular payments. According to court documents and evidence presented in the Zondo Commission reports, Transnet’s leadership at the time approved these transactions without proper oversight or compliance with procurement laws.

The Zondo Commission had previously recommended that Molefe, Gama, and others be prosecuted for their roles in facilitating what the commission described as a “racketeering enterprise” operating within Transnet. The Commission noted that the former executives failed to prevent or report significant procurement violations, allowing funds to flow to entities without proper justification.

In court appearances this week, Molefe and Gama were granted bail of R50,000 each. The case, which has been postponed to 2026, is expected to feature testimony from dozens of witnesses. Prosecutors say that more arrests related to the matter could follow as investigations continue. The Investigating Directorate confirmed that the arrests were part of ongoing efforts to deliver accountability for corruption in state-owned enterprises.

These developments are widely seen as a test of the government’s commitment to combating corruption and implementing the recommendations of the Zondo Commission. Civil society groups have praised the arrests, stating that they signal a long-overdue effort to bring high-profile figures to justice. However, some legal experts warn that delays in prosecution and political interference could undermine public confidence if the trials are not concluded swiftly and transparently.

The Transnet locomotive saga remains one of the most emblematic cases of alleged state capture in South Africa’s history. The outcome of the case involving Molefe and Gama is expected to set a precedent for how South Africa deals with similar cases of systemic corruption.