Norma Gigaba, the former finance minister Malusi Gigaba, has spilled the beans following the separation and exposed her husband about what happened behind the scenes in her marriage.
During an interview with eNCA on Thursday, Mngoma explained that her husband was receiving money and gifts from the Gupta family in exchange for him doing favors for them when he was public enterprises minister.
“We would visit and sometimes we get gifts, I didn’t know what for,” she said.
Mngoma said her husband, with who she is in the middle of divorce proceedings, would often visit the Saxonwold mansion where the Guptas lived and the Guptas came to their Pretoria home.
In the interview, she mentioned that she would also visit, but she was never present during their meeting proceedings, nor did she ever see cash exchange hands, she said.
Mngoma further said that Gigaba became paranoid about some of the alleged gifts he received from the Guptas, telling her he had declared some gifts, but not all.
“They used to give him a lot of money and he would say I do favors for the Guptas,” she said.
The estranged Mngoma said the Guptas funded her wedding, her honeymoon, and renovations of a Gigaba property, adding that the money received from the family was also used to clear Gigaba’s sisters R850 000 debt.
Mngoma expressed that she knew her marriage with the former minister would not last when Gigaba appeared to turn on former president Jacob Zuma during a CNN interview.
“I knew he would do it to me as well, I knew that my turn was coming,” she said.
In closing the chapter of her life with the former minister, Mngoma said she had chosen to drop the Gigaba surname and return to her maiden name.
“Gigaba didn’t work for me, so I decided to go back to my surname, it no longer served a purpose. I want to close that chapter because I don’t want to be there anymore,” she said.
Mngoma also painted a picture of a power-hungry Gigaba who had become addicted to power.
She said when he did not make it back to the Cabinet and lost his blue-light privileges and protections, he became angry and paranoid.
When questioned about Gigaba’s infamous pornographic video, Mngoma said that video had never been intended for her.
She also said Gigaba probably did not know who the video was intended for as there are lots of women in her husband’s life.
She also said Gigaba had a porn addiction.
Mngoma further brought to light the said allegations that she was part of a murder plot to murder her Gigaba were “imaginary”.
“It is imaginary. I don’t think there is anyone who wants to kill him. If there is something like that he would not leave the house without bodyguards. Luthuli House paid for bodyguards but he goes out on his own. If someone wanted to kill him he would be with bodyguards 24/7,” Mngoma explained.
Mngoma said that she didn’t fear for her safety after the grievous split.
“I am not a person who is a coward. I am not scared of anything. All of us will die one day and if that is my calling to die like that, then let it be. I am not scared of him. I am not scared of anyone,” she said.
Meanwhile, Gigaba took to Twitter before the interview aired that he would not be commenting on anything his wife had to say.
“To Whom It May Concern. Please note that I shall not be commenting on any aspect of the Moja Love TV audition which will be airing on eNCA at 18h00, tonight.
“My energy is exclusively reserved for my fight with the askaris who are the de facto puppet masters,” he said on Twitter.
To Whom It May Concern
— Malusi Gigaba (@mgigaba) December 17, 2020
Please note that I shall not be commenting on any aspect of the Moja Love TV audition which will be airing on eNCA at 18h00, tonight.
My energy is exclusively reserved for my fight with the askaris who are the de facto puppet masters.#LongLiveTheAnc!