Bongani Bongo's corruption trial to start afresh in April 2026
Former state security minister, Bongani Bongo, was back in the dock in the Western Cape High Court on Friday to finalise dates for a new trial.
Former state security minister, Bongani Bongo, appeared in the Western Cape High Court on 15 August 2025 for the restart of a corruption trial related to Parliament’s 2017 Eskom inquiry. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger/EWN
CAPE TOWN - Former state security minister, Bongani Bongo, was back in the dock in the Western Cape High Court on Friday for the restart of his corruption trial related to Parliament’s 2017 Eskom inquiry.
Bongo was acquitted by the same court in 2021, after applying for a discharge following evidence that he had allegedly attempted to bribe a parliamentary official to squash the inquiry.
But the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) overturned that decision last year and legal teams on Friday agreed that the trial would start afresh in April next year.
It’s been almost eight years since Bongo is alleged to have tried to meet with the evidence leader in Parliament’s Eskom inquiry, Ntuthuzelo Vanara, and to offer him an unspecified amount of money to derail the inquiry.
After parliamentary witnesses testified for two weeks, former Judge President John Hlophe granted Bongo a dismissal for lack of evidence from the State.
Bongo made a brief appearance in court on Friday to finalise dates for a new trial.
He’s the only person to face prosecution in relation to Parliament’s Eskom inquiry.
His lawyer, JC de Jager, told EWN he believed there would eventually be a fair outcome to this case.
"We are confident in our defence of these charges, as we were the first time around, and we will stand by that."
The State said it expects the matter to conclude within six weeks from 13 April 2026, but Judge Noluthando Nziweni said the court should not bind itself to a fixed duration.