Gigaba to face questions on looting
Myeni was to appear before the inquiry yesterday, but failed to show
HOME Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba is to face tough questions from Parliament’s inquiry into state capture during his tenure as Public Enterprises Minister following testimony linking him to the looting of the public purse.
This comes as the portfolio committee on public enterprises is hunting for the Guptas after they disappeared, and their lawyers telling the committee they are no longer their clients.
Gigaba is not the only senior official to face the inquiry on Tuesday.
Former SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni and ex-Eskom board chairperson Ben Ngubane will also be questioned on their roles.
Myeni was to appear before the inquiry yesterday, but she failed to show up. The committee agreed to call her again next Wednesday.
Acting chairperson of the inquiry Zukiswa Rantho said it wanted Gigaba to explain his role concerning stateowned entities. Myeni and Ngubane will be present.
“On Dudu Myeni, the committee is going to write to her and invite her to the committee. She is coming next Wednesday. We have set aside Wednesday for Myeni and Ben Ngubane,” said Rantho.
“On Malusi Gigaba, when we met we said we will give him focus areas which are governance, procurement and how boards were appointed in SOEs. We will also talk about some of the testimonies,” said Rantho.
Some of the senior officials at Eskom had implicated Gigaba in the appointment of Gupta-linked officials to the boards.
Myeni was implicated by former Eskom board chairperson Zola Tsotsi, who said she invited him to ex-president Jacob Zuma’s official residence in Durban to be instructed on the suspension of four top officials at Eskom in 2015.
The hunt for the Guptas continues and Rantho said it would ensure they appear before the inquiry.
But the Hawks are also on the hunt for the Guptas, who, it is alleged, seem to be in India and/or Dubai.
Suspended Eskom head of group capital Abram Masango told the inquiry how Matshela Koko had introduced him to Salim Essa before the four officials were suspended in March 2015. This followed a meeting between Tsotsi, Myeni and Zuma in Durban.
Masango said Koko had told him at the meeting in Melrose Arch that despite the suspensions, he was going to return to Eskom.
All three officials, including former chief executive Tshediso Matona, ex-finance director Tsholofelo Molefe and former head of group capital Dan Marokane, cut ties with Eskom.
However, Koko was the only one who was reinstated at Eskom.
Masango said he had refused to testify at Koko’s disciplinary hearing late last year because it was a sham.
This was the same position taken by suspended head of legal and compliance Suzanne Daniels, who warned that Koko would be acquitted.
Koko was found not guilty, but the new board charged him again a few weeks ago before he resigned on the day of the hearing.