Sanco slams Molefe for ‘ransom’ move

The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) yesterday declared Brian Molefe’s labour court action – to challenge his removal as Eskom CEO – as an attempt to hold the power utility to ransom.

Molefe, who was fired as Eskom CEO last week, on Sunday indicated his intention to take his former employer and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown to court over his dismissal. Molefe was set to launch his urgent application in the Labour Court yesterday.

Sanco spokesperson Jabu Mahlangu said: “Molefe’s sense of entitlement is seemingly encouraged by the Eskom board, which should be dissolved for putting personal interests above good corporate governance and national interest.”

Mahlangu said Molefe was proving to be a destabiliser of public institutions.

“His conduct is raising questions as to whether he is wielding the power of blackmail or whether those implicated in the public protector’s state of capture report want him back at Eskom at all costs, as their point man to oversee how the power utility is going to respond to investigations that are going to unfold,” Mahlangu said.

He said the civic organisation was concerned that the Molefe saga was overshadowing delivery on Eskom’s mandate, including its role as a critical and strategic contributor to government’s goal of security of electricity supply, as well as the country’s economic growth and prosperity.

“Eskom does not exist for Molefe, its board chairperson Ben Ngubane, or to facilitate looting of state resources through its coal supply, procurement processes and tenders,” Mahlangu added.

Molefe is expected to argue his dismissal was unlawful and should be treated as invalid.

Brown, as the Eskom shareholder representative, carried out an instruction from the governing ANC to rescind Molefe’s reappointment as Eskom CEO. The power utility’s board subsequently fired Molefe on Friday.

Molefe left Eskom under a cloud in November after he was implicated in former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on state capture.

He then joined the ANC caucus in parliament as an MP.

He was reappointed to his old post last month for the stated reason that he had “mistakenly” been granted early retirement which would entitle him to a pension payout of R30 million, which was vetoed by Brown.

Brown told a parliamentary committee that she had for months believed that Molefe had resigned last year, but had learned in April that he had in fact asked for early retirement.

Molefe, who featured extensively in Madonsela’s report, has denied any links to the wealthy, politically connected Gupta family. – ANA