Macpherson satisfied with progress made by IDT to rehabilitate its image

Minister of Public Works Dean Macpherson said he’s satisfied with the progress made by the Independent Development Trust (IDT) to shake off the perception that it’s a “corruption hub”.

This, after its former CEO, Tebogo Malaka, resigned last August under a cloud of corruption and bribery allegations.

On Wednesday, officials told Parliament's portfolio committee that it’s slowly starting to regain credibility in the market, with projects worth R6.5 billion lined up for this financial year.

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The IDT was thrust into the spotlight in 2024 over a dodgy R800 million tender to supply oxygen to State hospitals.

Then, in 2025, Malaka tried to bribe a journalist in an attempt to stop him from delving into her personal assets.

Macpherson said the IDT is putting its worst days behind it, but has to accept those implicated in corruption are never going to own up.

“They are going to use various channels and mechanisms and proxies and the media to try and defend what is completely indefensible.”

Macpherson has defended his interventions at the IDT, saying departments have no choice but to do so when their entities are becoming hotbeds of maladministration.

“The work is not just about restoring institutional capacity and processes and systems, but it’s also about restoring that credibility in the market.”

IDT chairperson Zimbini Hill said the organisation is looking to appoint a permanent CEO within the next six months.