Dudu Myeni, the controversial former South African Airways chairperson and close associate of former president Jacob Zuma, has died. Myeni passed away on Friday night, according to the Jacob Zuma Foundation.
The foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, said:
“The foundation confirms with a heavy heart that its chairperson, Dudu Myeni, passed on last night (Friday). The family is still dealing with these sad developments and will not be entertaining any media inquiries. The foundation is requesting the media to respect the family’s position.”
Myeni’s demise comes while she was facing allegations of graft at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. Her corruption case was postponed to November 21, 2024, due to health challenges.
In September 2023, Myeni, along with former Sondolo IT Director Trevor Mathenjwa, was arrested over charges of N300,000 fraud linked to BOSASA. The sum was allegedly paid by facilities management company BOSASA and its subsidiary Sondolo IT. They were later released on R10,000 bail.
The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture found that Myeni, the chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation, was guilty of facilitating corruption. It found that she influenced Zuma to favor BOSASA.
The report said that BOSASA, involved in “industrial-scale corruption,” secured R2.3 billion in tenders from 2000 to 2016, paying R75 million in bribes to politicians and officials. Myeni was found guilty of facilitating meetings between Zuma and Gavin Watson to evade prosecution. She was also found complicit in arranging meetings between companies like Falcon Oil and Gas, in breach of the Constitution.