Eskom deals to be probed
Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown yesterday announced an investigation into procurement at Eskom dating back to 2007, stressing that she wanted to get to the bottom of allegations of corruption involving the utility’s coal purchasing contracts.
Brown said she would ask the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to use the findings of seven investigations that have been conducted at Eskom in recent years as the basis for a full-scale probe.
Its findings would then be handed to a retired judge.
“There are lots of allegations of corruption. I have been saying there are seven reports… they were largely dealt with by the board.
“I would like so see the seven reports, all of them, being looked into, the PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) report, the Deloitte report, all of them, and because the SIU has this structure of forensic auditors, forensic investigators I thought that would be the best,” Brown told a media briefing ahead of her budget vote speech.
“And what would be useful would be to get a retired judge to at the end synthesise all of it so that we are able to have clear recommendations that would give us a clear direction as to what to do.
“I really want a judge or a retired judge so that I don’t have any doubt about the credibility of the investigation.”
She said the department was still drafting the terms of reference, but confirmed that it would include the findings of former public protector Thuli Madonsela in her State of Capture report, which indicated Eskom chief executive officer Brian Molefe may have gone out of his way to award a coal contract to the Gupta family’s Tegeta Exploration.
“It is essentially issues around procurement, the stuff that is in the public space. I want the whole coal process investigated.”
Brown announced the inquiry two days after she was flayed by parliament’s public enterprises committee for allowing the reinstatement of Molefe as CEO of Eskom this month, and accused by the ANC of lying to MPs.
The minister told the committee that she learnt in April that Molefe did not resign in November in response to Madonsela’s report, but had in fact sought early retirement.
She declined to respond directly to the ANC’s comments, but reiterated that she had not lied.
“If the leadership says I must come, I will have to defend myself there,” Brown said.
“I am not lying to parliament. I have an affidavit to court where I should not be lying. I have not lied.”
Brown initially defended the decision to send Molefe back to Eskom, saying he has not been found guilty of anything since Madonsela’s report was never investigated further, but said this week she had decided not to oppose the court bid by the opposition to have his appointment set aside. – ANA