Inquiry seeks funds

MPS WILL have to go to Speaker Baleka Mbete with cap in hand to ask for more money and an evidence leader to drive Parliament’s state capture inquiry.

Members of the portfolio committee on public enterprises gave the assurance yesterday that the money they require should not be compared with the billions of rands they want to recoup from the Guptas. However, the committee would not say how much will be needed. They have appointed three senior MPs from different parties to meet with Mbete to outline the resources they need, including an evidence leader.

Acting chairperson of the committee Zukiswa Rantho said they need the evidence leader to provide technical expertise to the committee during the investigation.

The decision of the committee came after legal advisers from Parliament said in a legal opinion earlier that to appoint an evidence leader from outside will be expensive.

Mondli Gungubele of the ANC said the resources they will need will help the committee to get to the bottom of all the allegations surrounding state capture.

He said they need the money in order to recoup billions of rands.

“That cost-benefit analysis, when people are investing billions and you refuse to deploy R1 million, is serious,” he said.

They will need an evidence leader to drive the inquiry and put the allegations to the witnesses, he said.

Nqaba Kwankwa of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) said they need the resources to ensure they are able to examine all the facts.

“Are we not supposed to do a cost-benefit analysis, looking at the money that we will spend compared to what we will recoup?” Kwankwa asked.

He said the evidence leader will have a “helicopter view” of the issues that will need to be investigated, and MPs from different parties will target particular areas of the inquiry.

Zukile Luyenge of the ANC also called for more resources for the inquiry, saying they want to recoup the money from the Guptas.

“Now we have the recommendations that we want, let us make up a delegation to approach the Speaker to ensure we have the necessary resources for the process to start. Here we are trying to recoup the money,” he said.

Natasha Mazzone of the DA said Parliament needed to move with speed because billions of rands were being taken out of the country every day. She said the sooner the process starts the better, and the committee will be able to recoup the billions of rands from the Guptas.

The committee said the evidence leader will be able to help with the compilation of the list of witnesses to be called for questioning.

MPs said it should not be an issue to find the money to fund the inquiry, and this would help speed up the process.

The committee also said the process could take months to complete because of the mountain of evidence that had been placed before it, and which it needed to consider.

Included in the list of witnesses are former board chairpersons and ex-and current executives of Eskom.