Gupta meetings scrutinised

FORMER Eskom board chairperson Zola Tsotsi has had to explain events that led to him meeting one of the Guptas.

Tsotsi took the stand at the commission of inquiry into state capture yesterday. He was questioned about three meetings he attended, while he was chairperson of Eskom’s board. with Tony Gupta in 2014.

He told the commission he agreed to meet Tony on three occasions because he feared reprisal from former president Jacob Zuma.

Tsotsi said the first meeting took place at the Gupta residence in Saxonwold. Tony was interested in Tsotsi supporting his family’s plan to enter into a gas contract with Eskom in the Western Cape.

He said he explained that he had no knowledge of such a contract but agreed to inquire about it on Tony’s behalf.

In the second meeting, also in Saxonwold, Tony asked Tsotsi if he could ensure that a “guy of his”, then employed at MTN, was appointed as head of procurement at Eskom.

“I said they would have to ask people in procurement if there was a position. I think he (Tony) wanted me to pull strings for him. I established later that the person did go and work for Eskom,” Tsotsi told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chairperson of the commission.

In the third meeting, Tstotsi said Tony wanted him to intervene in an Eskom audit which found that the utility’s sponsorship of The New Age newspaper was irregular.

Tony became upset when Tsotsi explained that he was unable to intervene on behalf of the Guptas.

Justice Zondo also questioned Tsotsi about what he feared would happen if he did not meet the Guptas. Tsotsi conceded that he feared being seen as an “enemy of uBaba”, as the Guptas often referred to Zuma, if someone refused to assist them.

“There was a well-known situation regarding them (Guptas) and their relationship with the president. I heard of instances where people were supposedly threatened by them if they could not give them whatever assistance they needed, and they would report them to the president.

“I would have been reprimanded by the president or told to assist them, which is what happened to my colleagues in government,” Tsotsi said.

He also told the inquiry how Zuma had called him in January 2015 and told him that an Eskom board meeting scheduled for the next day should not take place.

He said Zuma never gave him an explanation as to why the meeting should not take place.

“Was that on its own not strange that the president asked you to postpone the meeting?” asked Justice Zondo.

“I did not understand why I got a message from the president to that effect. I do concede that I could have asked him why he wanted the meeting postponed,” said Tsotsi.

Justice Zondo said he could not think of any other reason why someone would seek a postponement of a meeting other than the fact that he or she did not want certain matters discussed.

Tsotsi has concluded his testimony.

“I did not understand why I got a message from the president Zola Tsotsi FORMER ESKOM BOARD CHAIRPERSON