PP’s counsel digs into role of Gordhan

PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan’s role in the controversy of former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay’s retirement and immediate rehiring on contract featured heavily in yesterday’s hearings at the inquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkwhebane.

Mkhwebane’s senior counsel, Dali Mpofu, spent much of the morning cross-examining subpoenaed PPSA chief investigator Rodney Mataboge on his investigation into the matter.

Mpofu questioned whether Sars’ payment to Pillay of R1.1 million as a penalty for early retirement was regular or irregular.

In her May 2019 report on the incident of Pillay’s retirement, Mkhwebane found that Gordhan had acted irregularly by approving the retirement with full benefits and recommended that the president take disciplinary action against Gordhan.

The courts, however, reviewed the report and ruled Mkhwebane’s findings on Gordhan were irrational.

Yesterday, Mpofu read from the court papers of the case that Gordhan brought against Mkhwebane and said it was the basis of allegations of a vendetta by Mkhwebane against the minister.

Mpofu read excerpts from Gordhan’s affidavit in which he said that he believed the timing of the report into the Pillay matter with the findings and remedial action it contained was part of a political campaign against him by “proponents of state capture and defenders of corruption.”

Mpofu said Gordhan had accused Mkhwebane of releasing the report on May 24, 2019, to prevent his appointment to the Cabinet, which was announced a few days later.

On Wednesday, Mpofu’s cross-examination questions to Mataboge revolved mostly around the CR17/ Bosasa investigation.

The committee heard that Mataboge led the CR17/Bosasa investigation and supervised the SA Reserve Bank Investigating Unit, the Vrede-2 and Pillay pension investigations.

However, Mataboge said that after the Concourt judgment came out, he said to his team that “at least there is one voice of reason for us”.