His bail was set at R5 000 on condition that he not make any contact with State witnesses, SABC and eNCA reported. He was asked to return on January 31.

He is accused of trying to disrupt a Parliamentary probe into state capture at state-owned enterprises.

No photos were allowed to be taken of Bongo inside the court room.

Bongo currently serves as a member of Parliament for the ANC and was elected as chair of Parliament's home affairs committee in July.

At the time, the ANC insisted its choices for chairpersons of the National Assembly's committees were "capable comrades" and were not there to serve certain factions.

In 2017, an attempt to intervene in the portfolio committee on public enterprises' Eskom inquiry allegedly led Bongo to offer the parliamentary evidence leader a blank cheque to resign.

This is according to the Sunday Times, which reported that it had seen the evidence leader's affidavit submitted to former National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete.

Earlier this year, Parliament's joint ethics committee agreed to set up a subcommittee to look into charges of misconduct against him.

News24 previously reported that Bongo's sudden rise to Minister of State Security in 2017 raised some eyebrows.

News24