Molefe saga: Pravin takes board and minister to task in parly

FORMER finance minister Pravin Gordhan laid into the Eskom board and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown, telling them to “stop playing” and the “nonsense” over the reinstatement of Brian Molefe as the utility’s CEO.

In his maiden appearance in the public enterprises committee as an ANC backbencher MP since his axing in March, Gordhan lashed out at the Eskom board, saying their explanations regarding the controversial decision to re-appoint Brian Molefe as CEO simply lacked credibility and they were just arrogant towards the public.

The meeting had been called to discuss the decision to rehire Molefe even though he had resigned from the position to take up a job as an ANC MP.

In a tense four-hour meeting at which Brown and the Eskom board, led by chairman Ben Ngubane, struggle to justify Molefe’s return in the face of sharp questions from MPs, Gordhan said they had simply failed the country.

“The questions are aplenty, the answers are all over the show, they lack credibility,” he said.

Gordhan said the Eskom board was living “in oblivion” given the kind of answers they were expecting the public to accept on the Molefe saga.

The board reasons had so far been contradictory, ranging from “retrenchment, resignation, retirement”, with the latest being that he had been on “unpaid leave” although he took an oath of office as an MP during that period.

“I don’t know if the board is living in a sort of oblivion but the public is connecting the dots. Increasingly the public is becoming aware of what you doing or not doing as members of the board.

“They’re increasingly becoming aware that you are abusing state property and state resources.

“That you’re part of a conspiracy to capture Eskom for the benefit of a few, and that’s the reality, let’s not hide behind technicalities.”

MPs from across the political spectrum also expressed shock at Esko decision, arguing that it was inconceivable that the power utility’s non-executive directors were prepared to do reputational harm to the company, “all because of one man”.

But this did not sit well with a visibly irate Ngubane, who hit back by saying that as the board they had been working to turnaround the finances of Eskom with the help of Molefe.

Ngubane said this is why they wanted him back despite the job having been advertised after his resignation.

“The board has worked very hard. South Africa must at least acknowledge that. I don’t know why it’s so easy to rubbish everything,” he said.

But the ANC’s Mondli Gungubele told Ngubane that this showed his “blasé attitude” as chairman of the board.

“I’ve listen to you Dr Ngubane, all that you are telling us, are the numbers. In other words you are saying [to us] if you’ve got numbers and money we must shut up, what’s your problem, the balances sheet is okay. That’s nonsense, you said the same thing about the SABC, that when you got there was no money,” he said.

The committee has now resolved a full inquiry into the affairs of Eskom, including Molefe’s reinstatement.

DA Chief Whip John Steenhuissen has asked that members of the Gupta family, and Molefe be included on the list of witnesses to the parliamentary inquiry, due to start in about 21 days. — TMG