Molefe must not foot bill alone

THE man who gifted us the “Saxonwold Shebeen” might find it extremely difficult to shout a round at his favourite pub next week – once he’s paid R11million back to Eskom.

The troubled parastatal, itself a byword for state capture, agreed to give Brian Molefe a R30 million pension when he left/fired/ resigned/ retired/ took leave after being named in erstwhile public protector Thuli Madonsela’s state of capture report.

When Molefe left the parastatal he was gifted this golden handshake – amid incredible verbal gymnastics from the board and the minister of public enterprises defending the decision. After a ridiculously brief tenure in parliament as an MP, he was reinstated, left and re-emerged as an instant colonel in the army.

On Thursday, the Pretoria High Court flushed out the craven and venal stench that has permeated this sorry saga in an excoriating judgment.

Judge Elias Matojane’s found: “The decision by Eskom to waive penalties and buy Mr Molefe an extra 13 years of service totalling R30.1m after only 15 months’ service at the age of 50 stretches incredulity and is unlawful.

“What is most disturbing is the total lack of dignity and shame by people in leadership positions who abuse public funds with naked greed for their own benefit without a moment’s consideration of the circumstances of fellow citizens who live in absolute squalor throughout the country with no basic services.”

Molefe’s woes aren’t over – they’re only just beginning. On Thursday President Jacob Zuma allowed the original terms of the judicial commission into state capture to go ahead – dropping his bid to extend the terms almost to the paleolithic period, killing it before it began.

Brian Molefe will pay and pay and pay for what he has done to this country. But he cannot be the only one. The Guptas and Duduzane Zuma should be quaking.