Eskom CEO’s tearful revelation about a #SaxonwoldShebeen to explain his presence near the Gupta home set Twitter alight on Thursday night.
Former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s “State of Capture” report highlighted links between the Guptas and government officials.
Cellphone evidence revealed that Molefe and Ajay Gupta, the eldest of three Gupta brothers, made 58 telephone calls to one another between August 2015 and March 2016.
The report further detailed phone calls between Molefe and Ronica Ragavan, a long-time Gupta associate who was recently appointed acting CEO of Oakbay Investments, the family’s main holding company.
Cellphone tracking records Madonsela’s investigators obtained indicated that Molefe was at or near the Guptas’ Saxonwold, Johannesburg, compound 19 times between August 5 and November 17 2015.
“My cellphone reflects that I was in Saxonwold 14 times, close to the herd of proverbial goats. My cellphone reflects I was in the area,” said Molefe.
“There’s a shebeen there, two streets away from the Gupta(s). I will not admit or deny that I’ve gone to the shebeen,” he said.
The DA’s Mabine Seabe tweeted that the “shebeen” was in fact the nearby Zoo Lake Bowling Club, which closed its doors in 2014. Seabe said he was a regular at the venue and never saw Molefe there.
If there is a shebeen in Saxonwold, it’s not open to the public and is not visible from the street, chairperson of the Saxonwold and Parkwood Residents Association said on Thursday.
As serious as the State Capture report is, South Africans have a way of looking at the funny side of a situation and social media users spent most of last night desperately searching for the #SaxonwoldShebeen.
Twitter took it to the next level:
It is #PhuzaThursday. Who is buying Brian drinks at the #SaxonwoldShebeen?
— Palesa Morudu (@palesa_morudu) November 3, 2016
SOUTH Africans searching for #SaxonwoldShebeen… pic.twitter.com/bcZC7W1Cy9
— Simangaliso Esimhlophe Mthembu-Ntumba (@Isor_Linga) November 3, 2016
When you're at #SaxonwoldShebeen & Atul tries to capture you with less than R600m. pic.twitter.com/p8SeuuIcCq
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) November 3, 2016
What happens when you go to work after a heavy night at #saxonwoldshebeen pic.twitter.com/2fokE7f6uX
— Ryan Fortune (@ryanfortune_sa) November 3, 2016
#SaxonwoldShebeen "Barkeep, one tearsofaminister, please, no lemon."
— Johann Botha (@jonahboat) November 3, 2016
Getting ready to go to the #SaxonwoldShebeen pic.twitter.com/b0Hxsp0ObP
— Monei wa Senthaolele (@Kini_Monei) November 3, 2016
When you can't wait for the meeting to end so you can go to the #SaxonwoldShebeen & order the weekend special pic.twitter.com/AByST5F45D
— 📚🎨🎼 (@MahloriPen) November 3, 2016
Underground parking at #SaxonwoldShebeen pic.twitter.com/EB1jRzQ71y
— Mbathane Matshaya (@MbataneMatshaya) November 3, 2016
Situation at #SaxonwoldShebeen 🍻 pic.twitter.com/T0bb3QgSW6
— Ulrich Janse van Vuuren (@UlrichJvV) November 3, 2016
"Just a sparkling waterkloof for me, barman." #SaxonwoldShebeen
— Richard de Nooy (@RicharddeNooy) November 3, 2016
Just the fact the there is an actual #SaxonwoldShebeen hashtag makes me #proudlySouthAfrican. Man, but I love this country!
— Ashleigh Tordiffe (@AshTordiffe) November 3, 2016
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