South African minister Kodwa appears in court on graft charges
World
Zizi Kodwa was appointed sports, arts and culture minister last year
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's outgoing minister of sports, arts and culture Zizi Kodwa appeared in court on Wednesday after being arrested on corruption charges, police said.
Kodwa served in President Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet up until last week's election, which saw the African National Congress (ANC) lose its majority for the first time in 30 years of democracy.
He was appointed sports, arts and culture minister last year after being deputy minister of state security. He was ANC spokesperson from 2014 to 2017.
Kodwa was granted bail during a hearing at a magistrate's court in Johannesburg, elite police unit the Hawks said in a statement. His lawyer said he would not evade trial and would disclose his defence at a later stage, footage by public broadcaster SABC showed.
Local news website News24 reported that he intended to plead not guilty.
The charges against Kodwa stem from a judicial inquiry into alleged corruption during former president Jacob Zuma's time in office.
Kodwa allegedly received a bribe of about 1.7 million rand ($90,000) from an executive of a local technology company that received tenders from government departments. The Hawks said the money was reportedly used to buy a luxury car among other things.
