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ANC NEC: Molefe must leave Eskom, but new role must be found - sources

Cape Town – Brian Molefe must be removed from his role as Eskom chief executive, but his skill set must not be lost, the highest decision-making body of the African National Congress decided this weekend.

Two ANC leaders, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorised to speak, told News24 on Monday that the ANC’s national executive council (NEC) agreed that Molefe has to be removed as chief executive.

Molefe returned to his former role at the state-owned power utility in May after his controversial R30m early pension payout was rescinded.

The decision by the Eskom board to bring him back to solve this crisis has resulted in legal action and inquiries by Parliament and the Department of Public Enterprises into the matter.

READ: Eskom to face court case, two inquiries and board review

The ANC previously labelled Molefe's return to Eskom as "dangerous" and "reckless". Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown was summoned to Luthuli House to meet with the party's top six and she was ordered to rescind Molefe's return.

While the ANC has no authority to appoint or remove officials, as the ruling party it can instruct its deployees in the executive to act on its decisions.

The legal bid by the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters to have his reappointment overturned is set to be heard in the North Gauteng High Court on June 6 and 7.

The ANC will apparently intervene before then.

CITY PRESS: Return of Eskom CEO ‘unlawful’

One of the ANC sources told News24 that the NEC agreed Molefe’s talents should not be lost. “Something must be found for him to ensure we do not lose him,” the source said.

Molefe resigned from Eskom in November 2016 following former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report, which implicated the civil servant as being part of suspicious financial developments that helped the Guptas buy a Glencore mine that supplies coal to Eskom.

He became a parliamentarian for three months, in what political analysts believed was a move by President Jacob Zuma to make him finance minister. Apparently, Zuma was persuaded against doing so and he replaced Pravin Gordhan with Malusi Gigaba. That left Molefe seemingly stranded in Parliament.

Molefe has been in limbo ever since he danced his way back into Eskom's Megawatt Park two weeks ago. He was meant to open the African Utility Week the following day, but dropped out hours before his address.

That same day, investigative journalism publication amaBhungane cited former mining minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi as saying that Molefe and Eskom chair Ben Ngubane effectively pressed him to blackmail resources giant Glencore.

Molefe has not uttered a word publicly since his return, but he told staff in a speech that he would lead Eskom as it completed its new build projects at Medupi and Kusile, while keeping the lights on.

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