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Cape Town - As rumours surfaced of the "imminent" arrest of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has been touted as a possible successor.
He told Eyewitness News in a video interview that it was an "unfair" question to ask him if he would accept the position if it were offered to him, because he "hasn't and may not" receive such an offer.
Molefe jokingly warned the interviewer not to offer him the job, because "the last time somebody did something like that, they were hounded out of the country and their bank accounts were closed."
Turning to Gordhan, Molefe said the finance minister has done excellent work in ensuring that the ratings are maintained, and he hopes that Gordhan continues to work as the minister of finance.
He praised Gordhan for inspiring confidence and uniting the country in his efforts to avoid the dreaded junk credit rating.
When approached by Fin24 for comment, Molefe sent a terse response: "No further comments."
Since his reappointment in December to the post he held from 2009 to 2014, Gordhan has been facing one headwind after another amid efforts to restore investor confidence and ward off a junk credit rating.
The latest came in a report of Gordhan facing imminent arrest after the Hawks handed a docket over to the National Prosecuting Authority for his involvement in the SA Revenue Service’s “rogue unit”.
On Monday national director of the National Prosecuting Authority Shaun Abrahams denied involvement in a political plot to unseat Gordhan, saying reports that his arrest is imminent for authorising setting up a “rogue” investigative unit at SARS were “unwarranted and speculative”.
READ: SA prosecutor denies he's out to topple Gordhan
Since becoming CEO of Eskom in October last year, Molefe has succeeded in keeping load shedding at bay. He recently announced that there would be no power cuts this winter, adding that the power utility does not anticipate load shedding for the 2016/2017 financial year.
Molefe said the trust Moody's Investors Service has placed in Eskom is not misplaced, after the power utility managed to stave off a downgrade by the ratings agency despite receiving a negative outlook.
On Treasury’s investigation of Eskom's coal supply contracts, Molefe said in February that while he was surprised, the power utility will give its full cooperation. An unidentified senior Treasury source was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying: “We are going to look at every contract there; especially those where the parastatal did not follow proper procurement processes.”
READ: Molefe on Eskom coal deals probe: We have nothing to hide
Eskom's coal contracts have been in the news after Glencore announced the sale of its Optimum coal mine to Tegeta Exploration and Resources, which is owned by the Gupta family and Zuma’s son Duduzane.
Molefe and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown have criticised media reports insinuating that the Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources benefited unduly from an Eskom contract.
