Furore over Molefe U-turn
Business and workers fume
BUSINESS leaders and workers are united in condemnation of Eskom’s decision to reappoint Brian Molefe as CEO.
The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) slammed the move at the weekend and demanded an independent investigation into his reinstatement‚ which it said “smells of cronyism and corruption”.
It said on Saturday it was also considering whether to take legal action on the issue.
Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said that since his voluntary resignation last year‚ the “cloud of corruption” over Molefe’s head had not cleared.
“We view his reinstatement as an attempt by the power utility to ‘dry clean’ Molefe of the stench of corruption‚ which still lingers‚ following the damning allegations in the state of capture report‚” Jim asserted.
He said Numsa was “dismayed” that Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown had chosen to accept this dubious decision by the board of Eskom.
“The minister claims that the fact that Molefe has not been found guilty of corruption means that it is acceptable for him to be re-instated.
“We wish to remind the minister that the Constitutional Court affirmed the powers of the public protector in the 2016 Nkandla judgment. The Constitutional Court also confirmed that the remedial action recommended by the public protector was legally binding.
“It is true that Molefe is innocent until proven guilty‚ but the recommendations in the state of capture report are clear. They called for an independent inquiry into the allegations against him‚” Jim stated.
Business Leadership South Africa also condemned the appointment, saying that five reports “found prima facie evidence of serious malfeasance at Eskom during Molefe’s tenure there”.
BLSA chairman Jabu Mabuza said: “His reappointment is willfully disrespectful of the citizens of this country. Both business and government have been working to convince investors and ratings agencies that we are a country adhering to good governance, especially in respect of state-owned enterprises. This decision undermines all our efforts.” — TMG