Share

Fraud cloud over Molefe's reappointment

Cape Town - The ANC Study Group on Public Enterprises says it’s not satisfied with the responses of Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown and the Eskom board regarding the reinstatement of Brian Molefe as the power utility’s CEO.

The group says Molefe’s reinstatement raises questions of "possible fraud" which he may have committed when he was sworn in as a Member of Parliament.

It blames Brown, who is empowered to exercise oversight over the entity, saying both the minister and Eskom "showed no comprehension of the magnitude of the crisis they have plunged Eskom into" during their presentation to the Portfolio Committee earlier on Tuesday.

READ: #Molefe: Eskom and Brown fail to convince Parliament

In a statement, the ANC study group reiterated its call for the decision to reinstate Molefe to be rescinded "with immediate effect".

"The explanations provided around Mr Molefe’s state of employment at Eskom, or lack thereof, raises serious questions around possible fraud on his part at the time of being sworn in as a member of Parliament.

"We reiterate the call by our organisation that the decision to reappoint Mr Molefe as CEO of Eskom must be rescinded with immediate effect.

"It is the view of the study group that the current board of Eskom has total disregard for the principles of good governance. The study group takes a dim view on the state of affairs at Eskom and thus calls for an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the Eskom board."

READ: Gordhan launches scathing attack on Eskom

According to an affidavit earlier published on Fin24, Brown said she was not party to the decision to reappoint Molefe as chief executive officer of the power utility.

In court papers filed in the North Gauteng High Court on Monday, the minister said that she was not aware that Molefe had not resigned, but "had in fact applied for early retirement and that Eskom had on November 11, 2016 accepted such an application".

"I was therefore surprised on Sunday April 16, 2017 to read the article entitled Brian Molefe scores a R30m payout from Eskom," said Brown.

To her mind, Molefe's "resignation was just that", and she didn't understand why Molefe had to get the said R30m pension pay-out.

ALSO READ: Under oath: Brown opens up on how Eskom kept her in the dark

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATE: Get Fin24's top morning business news and opinions in your inbox.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.89
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.84
+0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders