Former Treasury DG Dondo Mogajane steps down from roles after VBS corruption claims

JOHANNESBURG - Former Director-General at National Treasury, Dondo Mogajane, has announced he will be stepping down from all his professional roles while he addresses corruption allegations.

In a court affidavit, convicted VBS fraudster Tshifhiwa Matodzi claimed he paid Mogajane a R1 million bribe while he was at Treasury.

Matodzi said the bribe was intended to get Mogajane to retract a letter that Treasury sent to municipalities warning them not to invest with VBS Bank.

Mogajane denied all the allegations.

In a statement released on Monday, Mogajane said he would continue to fight for his innocence.

"My reputation has been put in question. Currently, some false allegations have been made by a convicted felon, and I categorically deny any wrongdoing. I don’t want to dwell on that for now; proper processes must be followed. I fully understand the consequences of these allegations, and I am humbly going to step down from all boards that I currently sit on," he said.

Among his various roles, Mogajane was the CEO of investment company The Moti Group, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Government Employees Pension Fund, and a member of the board of directors of the BRICS New Development Bank.