00:00A former government minister and senior figure in the African National Congress will face bribery charges, South African state prosecutors
00:07said on Tuesday.
00:09Zizi Kodwa was arrested in 2024 while serving as minister for sports and arts.
00:16He was accused of taking $85,000 in bribes in connection with contracts to upgrade and maintain software systems in
00:23Johannesburg.
00:24But local prosecutors withdrew the charges months later, saying the prospects of a successful prosecution were slim.
00:32National authorities briefly reinstated the charges in January before setting them aside once again.
00:38Now state prosecutors have decided to pursue the case.
00:42Data from 2019 suggests that corruption could have cost South Africa more than $31 billion, then about a tenth of
00:49the country's GDP.
00:51Earlier this month, ANC MP Vincent Smith became the first top official to be jailed on fraud and corruption charges.
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