Serving summons: committee seeks Hawks’ help

Parliament’s public enterprises committee is to seek the assistance of law-enforcement agencies such as the Hawks to serve summonses on witnesses, such as the Gupta brothers, who it wants to have appear before its inquiry into state capture.

This was after the sheriff failed to serve summons on them. The witnesses involved are the three Gupta brothers — Ajay, Atul and Rajesh — as well as former president Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane and former South African Airways chairwoman Dudu Myeni.

The committee summonsed them to address allegations made against them by various witnesses who have testified before the inquiry.

The failure to serve summonses on witnesses who were scheduled to appear at Wednesday’s meeting means that it has had to be called off. The summonses were issued by the secretary to Parliament in terms of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act.

Zukiswa Rantho, the inquiry chairwoman, said in a statement that the sheriff had attempted to serve summonses on the Guptas and Duduzane Zuma at their last known places of residence last Wednesday.

Summonses could not be served on the Guptas, who are believed to be overseas. The sheriff also served summons on the same day on Myeni at her last known place of residence by affixing the summons to her outer main gate. This was done after the security guard at the residence refused to receive it. Myeni has repeatedly failed to attend committee meetings on the basis of invitations, pleading that she is ill.

The committee wants to question her about testimony by former Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi that in March 2015 he was called to the former president’s Durban residence, where Myeni allegedly suggested that Eskom suspend three senior executives — former CEO Tshediso Matona, former chief financial officer Tsholofelo Molefe and former head of capital Dan Marokane.

Zuma allegedly entered the room during the meeting. The suspensions took place and the three eventually departed from the utility.

The Guptas are required to answer questions related to state capture.