Minister in Eskom deals debacle
Brown ‘misled’ parliament
PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown inadvertently misled parliament when she said a local consultancy firm linked to business friends of former president Jacob Zuma had no contracts with state power utility Eskom, an anti-graft watchdog said late last week.
This latest criticism of a senior government official came hours before the ANC’s NEC headed into a two-day meeting yesterday and today to thrash out the details of a new cabinet for President Cyril Ramaphosa after he replaced the scandal-ridden Zuma earlier this month. An announcement is expected tomorrow.
Busisiwe Mkhwebane, head of the public protector’s office, said in her report that Ramaphosa should take action within 14 days against Brown, whose department oversees enterprises including Eskom.
“Minister Brown inadvertently misled parliament in her assertion that there were no other contracts of engagement concluded between Eskom and Trillian,” said Mkhwebane in her report, adding that she had breached a ministerial code of ethics.
In response, Brown blamed the utility for giving her misleading information she read out in parliament in December 2016. She said the information was signed off by Anoj Singh, former Eskom chief financial officer on behalf of the utility’s CEO.
Brown said Singh had told her that no payments had been made to Trillian, a consultancy linked to the Gupta family.
Brown said when she became aware that she had been misled, she ordered Eskom’s board to take disciplinary action against “those who conspired to mislead me, parliament and the country”.
Khulu Phasiwe, Eskom’s spokesman, said Singh and others were suspended by the board after Brown’s instruction. Singh was suspended by Eskom in July 2017 and formally resigned his post in January.
Singh did not answer a call made to his cellphone.
Tyrone Seale, Ramaphosa’s acting spokesman, said the presidency was still studying the public protector’s report.
Zuma’s business associates include three brothers from the Gupta family who have been accused of using their political connections to win contracts at state firms, including Eskom, and influence cabinet appointments.
Zuma and the Gupta brothers deny wrongdoing.
● Earlier last week, parliament said it would launch an investigation into allegations of influence-peddling against Mining Minister Mosebenzi Zwane. Zwane has denied any wrongdoing.
Separately, the DA last week filed a complaint with the public protector against Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba over a Pretoria High Court finding in December that he violated the Constitution over a decision he made while home affairs minister. Gigaba has said he would challenge the ruling. —