The Yengeni case proved that Arms Deal corruption began under Mandela, not Zuma.
Tony Yengeni was the ANC's Chief Whip in the National Assembly and chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence — the parliamentary body tasked with overseeing the arms procurement process. In 1998, while the Arms Deal evaluation was underway, Yengeni received a Mercedes-Benz ML320 from DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA), a German defence contractor bidding for the corvette combat suite subcontract. The vehicle was sold to Yengeni at a steep discount — he paid approximately R180,000 for a vehicle worth R350,000, effectively receiving a R170,000 benefit.
The transaction was facilitated by DASA's local representative. Yengeni failed to declare this benefit to Parliament. The matter was exposed through investigative journalism and later through the Arms Deal investigation by the Auditor-General, the Public Protector, and the NDPP. Yengeni initially denied receiving any benefit and challenged the legal proceedings.
In March 2003, Yengeni was convicted of fraud — specifically, for failing to disclose the benefit he received from an arms deal bidder while serving as chair of the defence oversight committee. He was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. ANC supporters gathered outside court singing liberation songs, celebrating a convicted fraudster as a political victim.
The conviction was significant as one of the few successful criminal prosecutions arising from the Arms Deal. However, Yengeni served less than 5 months at a minimum-security facility before being released on parole. He remained an ANC member and continued to hold party positions.
What made the Yengeni case particularly significant was its timing: the corruption occurred in 1998, during the Mandela presidency, while the Arms Deal was still being evaluated. The chairman of the very committee overseeing the deal was taking benefits from a bidder. The discounted Mercedes was the tip of an iceberg — the Arms Deal investigation found that multiple parliamentarians and officials received benefits from bidders, but Yengeni was one of the few who faced any consequence.