According to the Democratic Alliance (DA), suspended Independent Development Trust (IDT) chief executive Tebogo Malaka remains at large four weeks after a criminal complaint of corruption was laid against her.

Malaka allegedly tried to bribe investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh with R60 000 to stifle stories on graft at the IDT, a state entity. According to the DA, a case was opened on 7 August, yet the South African Police Service (SAPS) has issued no progress report and made no arrest.

DA deputy spokesperson on public works Edwin Macrae Bath says he has written to the acting minister of police demanding “an urgent update on the investigation and clarity on why no arrest has taken place”.

The party has also criticised the chair of Parliament’s public works committee for allegedly meeting Malaka in December 2024 and releasing a statement that branded allegations of graft at the IDT as “lacking substance”. Bath argues the episode suggests that politically connected figures are shielding Malaka from accountability.

The DA insists it will pursue the matter until arrests are made and public funds protected.