Bribery & inauguration

While president elect Jacob Zuma has been preaching the anti-corruption gospel on the election trail, some of his friends seem to need converting.

The Mail & Guardian has established that Durban businessman and racehorse owner Roy Moodley was detained overnight at Pretoria’s Sunnyside police station after allegedly trying to bribe a state official to get a seat closer to Zuma at his inauguration.

‘It seemed he wanted to get a better seat,” said national police spokesperson, Captain Dennis Adriao.

Moodley appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of corruption and bribery. His case was postponed and he was released on R2 000 bail.

Moodley, who was invited to the inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Saturday, is alleged to have passed a brown envelope containing R100 to an arts and culture department official in an attempt to sidle a little bit closer to Zuma.

With Vivian Reddy and Schabir Shaik, Moodley is one of a group of Durban-based businessmen with close ties to the president elect.

After corruption charges against Zuma were dropped, he threw an extravagant bash at his palatial home in La Lucia in Durban.