sona 2019 worst dressed

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 16: Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and his wife Norma on the red carpet at the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2018 in Parliament on February 16, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. SONA, is an annual event in Republic of South Africa, in which the President of the country reports on the status of the nation, to the resumption of a joint sitting of Parliament. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sunday Times / Esa Alexander)

Norma Mngoma speaks: Did she REALLY inherit from a wealthy fiancé?

Malusi Gigaba told the State Capture Commission that Norma Mngoma received a generous inheritance from a late fiancé

sona 2019 worst dressed

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 16: Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and his wife Norma on the red carpet at the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2018 in Parliament on February 16, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. SONA, is an annual event in Republic of South Africa, in which the President of the country reports on the status of the nation, to the resumption of a joint sitting of Parliament. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sunday Times / Esa Alexander)

When former minister Malusi Gigaba appeared before the State Capture Commission recently, not only did he vehemently deny allegations levelled against him by his estranged wife, Norma Mngoma – he also dropped a few bombshells of his own. Gigaba told the commission that when he met Mngoma, she presented herself as coming from a wealthy family with ties to the likes of billionaire Mark Shuttleworth.

Another one of Gigaba’s recent “revelations” were that she had received a generous sum of money from a fiancé who lived in the country. Mngoma has since reacted to his jaw-dropping testimony and poured cold water over the claims.

In an interview with the Sunday Tribune, Mngoma said Gigaba was merely trying to discredit and attempting to evade accountability at the commission.

“Those are his lies of running away from answering questions at the Zondo Commission, trying to paint me as an unreliable witness,” she is quoted as having said.

“He must tell you where that comes from because I don’t know what he is talking about and I don’t want to entertain it. I stick by my testimony that I gave to the commission because it’s the truth.”

Norma Mngoma

What Malusi Gigaba told Zondo about Norma Mngoma:

Former ANC MP Malusi Gigaba told the State Capture Commission’s chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ) Raymond Zondo that Norma Mngoma lied to him about her upbringing and claimed to be a trust fund baby whose father was, a New York businessman.

“I think around 2010, 2011, he left her a lot of inheritance that she was stressing about protecting because apparently, the father’s girlfriend wanted a piece of the inheritance. A few other prominent South African business people whose names I request not to mention also apparently wanted a piece of this inheritance,” said Gigaba.

“I was to learn later that this so-called father was in fact her fiancé. All along I had laboured under the understanding that this wealthy father was in New York only to find out later that it was her fiancée who was living in Johannesburg who was well to do.”

Mngoma has testified about the extent of Gigaba’s relationship with the Gupta family, including how he allegedly visited their Saxonwold compound at least 20 times.