DA wants protection

The Democratic Alliance demanded protection yesterday for both members of parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises investigating allegations of state capture at Eskom and witnesses appearing before the inquiry.

The DA would write to National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete in this regard, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said.

“It is clear from recent media reports that those implicated in the illicit activity at Eskom will stop at nothing to hamper the investigation into state capture. It has emerged that witnesses appearing before this committee are at risk, as evidenced in advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara’s affidavit in which he alleges that State Security Minister Bongani Bongo attempted to bribe him to step down as evidence leader,” he said.

However, committee members were now also being targeted. The DA’s member on this committee, Natasha Mazzone, had recently been followed and her vehicle had also been tampered with, Steenhuisen said.

“As the truth emerges in this inquiry into how billions are being unlawfully funnelled from state enterprises to a small group of politically connected criminals, it is obvious that both committee members and witnesses need to be afforded protection.

“The DA will not yield to intimidation or halt our efforts to ensure that those implicated in state capture are held to account,” Steenhuisen said.