Graft task team lacks coherence in probes into SOEs
CAPE TOWN — Mystery surrounds the anticorruption task team’s investigations into stateowned entities (SOEs) Denel and Eskom as a deadline looms on its next appearance in Parliament.
The task team — a multidepartmental initiative encompassing the Hawks, the National Prosecuting Authority and the South African Revenue Service — appeared before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) for the first time in September.
Its members were tongue-tied when asked for details on its investigations at state-owned enterprises, even though the Hawks’ Alfred Khana said the task team was looking at Eskom and Denel.
The task team has until Wednesday to provide supporting documents to Scopa, but the parastatals involved said they were not aware of any investigation.
Scopa chairman Themba Godi told Business Day that although a date had not been set for the task team’s next meeting, it would provide the necessary documents to the committee on Wednesday.
“[A] date has not yet been set. Remember, we asked them to furnish us with documents by yesterday [Thursday]. We then extended it to Wednesday. After that, we will look at the documents and then come to a decision as to when they can brief us,” Godi said.
The committee wants case numbers, details on charges where applicable, amounts involved and to know how far along the legal process each case is.
Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi told Business Day that although the elite police investigating unit played a critical part in the task team’s investigations into parastatals, the cases pertaining to the state-owned entities were in the early stages and details could not be immediately shared.
“We don’t give details. We can only go and inform Parliament on which entities we are investigating. But that does not mean that we are at liberty to give details to just anybody. You can also understand that these are still under investigation,” Mulaudzi said.
Department of Public Enterprises spokesman Colin Cruywagen told Business Day he did not know of any specific parastatals falling under the department that were being investigated, but undertook to divulge information should any details come to light.
When Eskom’s media desk was contacted for comment about the issue, its response was: “Eskom is not aware of this [task team] investigation, but we shall co-operate with the law enforcement agencies should we be approached.”
Denel spokeswoman Pam Malinda told Business Day that the entity had first heard about the investigation when the task team appeared before Parliament and, therefore, did not know who would be implicated.