Duduzane, Guptas face Eskom grilling

EMBATTLED power utility Eskom faces more woes in Parliament after the committee exercising oversight over its function agreed to call in Duduzane Zuma and the Guptas over their business dealings.

The acting chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises, Zukiswa Rantho, said yesterday they had more questions for Eskom.

She said in the last few months since the committee agreed to call Zuma and the Guptas, they had received more information on Eskom.

“We really want to look at Eskom. There are too many things that are coming out of Eskom,” said Rantho.

However, she did not go into details on the information they were receiving about the power utility.

She said they would start with the inquiry into Eskom next month. There were no dates set yet for the inquiry because they were still sifting through the mountain of information they have.

Rantho confirmed that Zuma and the Guptas would be called to give evidence during the inquiry.

The investigation by the portfolio committee into Eskom is part of several probes by committees in Parliament.

But the public enterprises committee was the first committee to initiate an investigation into state capture. It was followed by portfolio committees on transport, energy and home affairs.

This was part of the decision by House chairperson Cedric Frolick that these committees investigate state capture.

Opposition parties failed in their attempt to get an ad hoc committee to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into state capture.

President Jacob Zuma has also questioned multiple investigations into state capture, saying a commission of inquiry would be better suited to conduct the investigation.

Zuma said he would appoint the commission as soon as possible and fully supported such an inquiry.

The ANC also endorsed the commission of inquiry into state capture during its policy conference at Nasrec, Joburg, three weeks ago.

The issue of state capture has been in the public domain since the release of the State of Capture report by former public protector Thuli Madonsela.