Questions about Molefe’s ‘resignation’

Among the many questions relating to whether or not Brian Molefe resigned from Eskom, two issues are worth noting. One is that the ANC released a statement on May 23 asserting that contradictory statements made before the portfolio committee on public enterprises by Eskom and Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown, pictured, amounted to perjury.

Some people see this as an overstatement and have asked whether or not the minister was under oath. But this need not even be the question.

Public office should equal public trust. Schedule 2 (3) of the constitution sets the tone. Under this, ministers and deputies, upon appointment, swear to perform their duties “conscientiously”, among other things.

It would, therefore, not be unreasonable for members of the public to expect that ministers will be truthful in what they say and do in office.

Idealistic as this may seem, we should not have to have oath after oath in order to hold public officials to account.

Secondly, supposing the minister has not been truthful about Molefe’s departure and return to Eskom, it remains to be seen what steps the ANC would take in the aftermath.

If the statement by Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini that “all of us in the NEC have our smallanyana skeletons” is anything to go by, taking stern action against Brown may be risky for other members of the ruling party.

Thuthukani Ndebele