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Cape Town – The Public Enterprises parliamentary committee will be requested to launch a full-scale parliamentary inquiry into Eskom, Democratic Alliance MP Natasha Mazzone said on Friday.
Mazzone, who heads up the party’s public enterprise portfolio, said she will write to the chair of chairs Cederic Frolick to request this inquiry takes place.
She said the criminal charges she laid against Molefe still stand and hopes they are being investigated by the South African Police Service.
Her request follows the planned return of Brian Molefe to Eskom, who agreed to return to Eskom as its chief executive on Monday, after the board rescinded his application for early retirement, Eskom board spokesperson Khulani Qoma confirmed on Friday.
Molefe quit in November 2016 following former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report and has been a Member of Parliament for the past three months.
Qoma said the board met after Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown objected to Eskom’s R30m pension payout to Molefe, which she only discovered through a story in the Sunday Times on April 16.
Eskom chairperson Ben Ngubane told Business Report “that in accordance with the minister’s instructions, the parties attempted to find a mutually acceptable pension proposal, but were unable to reach such an arrangement.”
Mazzone said the return of Molefe to Eskom "will see the Gupta hand return to the power utility, and most likely to the forthcoming nuclear procurement deal".
"This is something which South Africa cannot accept.
“It was clear in the Public Protector’s damning State of Capture Report that Molefe was seriously compromised in his position at Eskom. He, himself, on leaving Eskom cited the interests of corporate good governance as requiring him to leave.
“The State of Capture Report details the close relationship between Molefe and the Guptas and how key decisions were taken by Molefe, as the head of Eskom, for the ultimate benefit of the Gupta’s and at the expense of the people of South Africa.
“Specifically, Molefe called Ajay Gupta a total of 44 times and Ajay Gupta called Molefe a total of 14 times in 8 months. Molefe can further be placed in the Saxonwold area on 19 occasions between August 2015 and November 2015.
“South Africa deserves to know the truth behind the many scandals currently engulfing Eskom. It is imperative that Parliament conducts an inquiry as a matter of urgency to ensure that those who are responsible for abuses are held to account – not least, Brian Molefe.
“Our lawyers have also been instructed to investigate every angle possible to review this ridiculous and irrational decision.”
