Members of the media were barred from covering the funeral service of the former SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni. Myeni who passed away last week Saturday after a short illness was also the chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation.

THE FUNERAL

Myeni who passed away last week Saturday after losing a battle with cancer was also the chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation. She was buried yesterday, and her funeral service was held at the Ugu Sports Ground at Port Shepstone in the south of KwaZulu-Natal. The funeral was attended by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party's top leaders including former President Jacob Zuma who spoke fondly of Myeni. Disgraced former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, former Cogta minister Des Van Rooyen, EFF MP Mzwanele Manyi, and advocate Dali Mpofu also attended the funeral.

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NOT WELCOME 

The media was reportedly told by security offices at the funeral to leave claiming those were the family's wishes. Speaking to ZiMoja, journalists from various publications said that they were turned away from the funeral because Myeni was not appreciated by the media. "Security at the venue turned us away and said that we never wrote anything positive about Myeni," one journalist said. Another journalist from a Zulu publication said: "The security officers claimed that our coverage of Dudu was never positive, particularly regarding her court cases. We pleaded to cover the event, but were instructed not to be entertained,". Another journalist shared their frustration and said it was disappointing that after travelling two hours to the funeral from Durban to Port Shepstone and even booking a hotel they were not given a chance to do their job. 

FACING CORRUPTION CASES 

In September 2023, Myeni and former Sondolo IT Director, Trevor Mathenjwa, were arrested and charged with corruption relating to Bosasa. It's alleged that Myeni received R300 000 as gratification from Bosasa and its subsidiary Sondolo IT. The duo's arrest came after they were implicated in the State Capture Commission, at the time, Myeni was the chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation. According to the report, Bosasa was involved in industrial-scale corruption, and obtained tenders worth R2.3 billion between the years 2000 and 2016, while also paying R75 million in bribes to politicians and officials. Allegedly, Myeni regularly received R300,000 in bribes. Last month, Myeni who was out on bail failed to attend her court case because of ill health.