Parliament to probe Eskom and Gupta links
• Committee’s inquiry has the support of all parties
Parliament’s public enterprises portfolio committee is forging ahead with its inquiry into alleged irregularities at Eskom. It is the first parliamentary committee to tackle the stream of allegations of state capture emerging from leaked Gupta e-mails and the report on state capture by former public protector Thuli Madonsela.
Parliament’s public enterprises portfolio committee is forging ahead with its inquiry into alleged irregularities at Eskom.
It is the first parliamentary committee that will tackle the stream of allegations of state capture emerging from leaked Gupta e-mails and the report on state capture by former public protector Thuli Madonsela.
The inquiry could see President Jacob Zuma’s son and Gupta associate Duduzane Zuma as well at the Gupta brothers Atul and Ajay being called as witnesses.
The committee adopted on Wednesday the terms of reference for the inquiry that will get under way in August after Parliament’s mid-term recess.
It has been given the goahead by Parliament’s presiding officers and is expected to last a month or more.
The committee’s inquiry has also been endorsed by National Assembly chairman of committees Cedric Frolick, who has urged portfolio committees to investigate allegations of state capture urgently.
The inquiry has the support of all political parties, which acting chairwoman Zukiswa Rantho stressed had to act in a nonpartisan way in conducting the investigation. In terms of the rules of Parliament, a portfolio committee has the power to summon witnesses to present evidence under oath and to submit documents.
The aim of the inquiry would be to look into the ability of Eskom to discharge its fiduciary duties. In this regard, it will look into the financial status and sustainability of the utility, the reappointment of former CEO Brian Molefe and the determination of his retirement package. It will also examine the response by Eskom to Madonsela’s State of Capture report.
The inquiry will tackle governance and ethics challenges and whether remuneration levels are market-related. It will also investigate the coal contracts and the leaked Gupta emails relating to Eskom.
The committee has agreed on the documents that it will seek, including minutes of board meetings relating to Molefe’s early retirement and reappointment and the legal advice relating thereto, as well as all seven investigation reports regarding maladministration at Eskom, including the unsanitised versions of the Denton and PwC reports.
The minutes of all board meetings relating to contracts with Optimum Coal and Impulse International as well as those dealing with the allegations of nepotism against group executive for generation Mashile Koko will also be called for. The coal contracts themselves will have to be submitted too.
INQUIRY WILL START IN AUGUST AFTER PARLIAMENT’S MID-TERM RECESS