Committees seek funds to probe alleged state capture

ALL EYES are on Speaker Baleka Mbete, to see whether she will accede to the demands of the portfolio committees in Parliament for more resources to probe state capture.

This comes as the portfolio committee on public enterprises and the portfolio committee on mineral resources yesterday said they will separately approach Mbete for more resources.

House chairman Cedric Frolick ordered four portfolio committees in June to investigate state capture after the leaked emails and various allegations against the Gupta family.

At the time he instructed the committees to do this, the portfolio committee on public enterprises had already started a process to investigate Eskom, but it widened its mandate to include other state-owned entities after Frolick’s intervention.

In addition to public enterprises and mineral resources, the other committees tasked to investigate state capture are home affairs and transport.

The two committees have not yet met to discuss plans and scope for the investigation. The public enterprises committee was caught up in the same debate, agreeing to send its acting chairperson Zukiswa Rantho, Narend Singh of the IFP and Natasha Mazzone of the DA to meet the Speaker. Members of the public enterprises committee said they will not be able to do their work without an evidence leader. They also need more resources.

Singh warned in the meeting that it would be important for the committee to have the required resources and technical expertise to deal with the matter.

“If we are serious about getting to the bottom of the graft and corruption we need to be assured by powers that be in Parliament with the finances, that we will be given the resources,” said Singh.

Steve Swart of the African Christian Democratic Party said the key thing was to ensure they recover the money that has been allegedly stolen.

Moss Tseli of the ANC also agreed that Parliament would have to provide the needed resources for a proper investigation to be conducted.