Businessman Bonelela Mgudlwa plans to appeal tribunal's judgment on PPE contracts.
Image: Instagram
Bonelela Mgudlwa, the businessman and husband of South African media personality Anele Mdoda, has strongly rejected the findings of a Special Tribunal judgment that ordered him and his business partner to repay more than R14 million linked to two 2020 Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts.
The Special Tribunal ruled last week that the contracts awarded to their company, Tark Group Pty Ltd (formerly Tuwo Rhodesia), were constitutionally invalid and void from the outset.
The judgment, which followed an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), found irregularities including the bypassing of competitive bidding processes and other procurement rules in deals with the Mpumalanga Department of Health.
Mgudlwa categorically defended his actions and distanced his wife from the matter. "Firstly, I categorically state that Anele has no connection whatsoever to the events under scrutiny," he said.
He emphasised that the contracts related to his business activities in 2020, while his relationship with Mdoda (now Anele Mgudlwa) only began in mid-2024 and led to their marriage in 2025.
"Any suggestion of her involvement is factually incorrect, malicious, reckless and unfair, and must be rejected outright, he added. "Anele is an accomplished professional in her own right and deserves to be entirely free from association with this matter."
He described the period as one of urgent national demand for essential medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anele Mdoda and her husband, Buzza James, embracing in Munich.
Image: Instagram.
He claimed that his company had the logistics capacity to distribute efficiently and participated in a request-for-quotation (RFQ) process overseen by the Department of Health, supplying products to a duly authorised and SAHPRA-licensed entity.
"The products met all required specifications, were accepted and utilised, and there is no evidence of any financial loss to the State."
While respecting the judicial process, Mgudlwa expressed fundamental disagreement with the tribunal's findings and confirmed plans to challenge the ruling.
"I have instructed my legal representatives to proceed with an appeal and/or review before the High Court, where all relevant issues will be fully ventilated.
"This was a State-led procurement process, and the role of the department remains central to the issues in dispute."
IOL News