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#EskomInquiry: MPs insist on experienced advocate as evidence leader

Cape Town – MPs tasked with an inquiry into state capture allegations at Eskom, Transnet and Denel are adamant that they want Advocate Nthuthuzelo Vanara as evidence leader when witnesses are called to testify. 

A three-party delegation consisting of acting chairperson Zukiswa Rantho (African National Congress), Natasha Mazzone from the Democratic Alliance and Narend Singh from the Inkatha Freedom Party met with House chairperson Cedric Frolick on Tuesday to discuss the lack of adequate resources made available to the inquiry.

The portfolio committee on public enterprises in May this year resolved to probe allegations of state capture at Eskom, as well as the golden handshake offered to former CEO Brian Molefe and the ability of the Eskom board to fulfil its duty.

A list of 27 witnesses has been compiled, but three months down the line the inquiry has not started yet, due to the unavailability of an internal evidence leader and time constraints.

'Purposefully delayed'

“We get the impression that this inquiry is being purposefully delayed,” Mazzone said at the committee meeting on Wednesday. “We are insisting that Advocate Vanara act as evidence leader following the sterling work he has done during the SABC inquiry.”

MPs heard late last month that the experienced and acclaimed Vanara will not be available to perform the function of evidence leader during the Eskom inquiry, and that he would only be giving advice to the committee.

According to Frolick, Vanara’s current workload as registrar of members’ interest causes him to be unavailable to support the Eskom inquiry.

But Mazzone would have none of it. “You can’t tell me it’s the correct allocation of resources to have Vanara paper pushing in the member’s facilities office,” she told Fin24 on the sidelines of the Parliamentary meeting.

“Member’s interests aren’t going anywhere and are not posing a threat to the national fiscus, unlike state capture.”

Frolick’s response to the committee’s request to have Vanara as evidence leader is expected within the next day or two. 

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