DA demands Molefe probe
THE DA says it will write to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to request that she probe the R30 million pension payout to former Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe.
The Sunday Times reported that Molefe walked away with a R30.1m “golden handshake” even though he was at the power utility for only 18 months.
He resigned from Eskom in November under a cloud after being named in former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s “State of Capture” report.
The DA’s spokesperson on finance, Natasha Mazzone, said Molefe’s R30m payout clearly pointed to a case of gross abuse of public funds.
Mazzone said it was outrageous that Molefe should be awarded such an “exuberant bonus” after only 10 months at the helm of the power utility, especially after he resigned of his own accord.
“The public protector must therefore investigate this highly irregular payout, in order to establish on what basis Molefe deserves to receive this amount of money,” Mazzone said.
“It is unacceptable that taxpayer money is repeatedly used to benefit underperforming executives who do not deserve it.”
Mazzone said this was clearly not just a pension payout, as Molefe claimed, but a “golden handshake”, adding that the DA strongly urges him to immediately pay back the R30m bonus.
“The DA will not stand for the irregular use of taxpayer money – there are vital projects which need this money,” Mazzone said. – ANA