State capture inquiry set to start next week

THE first witnesses into state capture could start giving evidence by next week if MPs finalise their preparations for the inquiry in time.

Zukiswa Rantho, acting chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises, said yesterday if MPs got everything done timeously, they would stick to their schedule and commence next Tuesday. She was speaking after Parliament confirmed it had made available all the resources required by the committee to probe state capture.

Rantho said they were likely to call Eskom officials and board members, including those who had subsequently left the power utility.

This had been a decision of the committee when it launched the inquiry in May.

Top of the list would be former Eskom board chairpersons and executives, including Ben Ngubane, Zola Tsotsi, Matshela Koko and Brian Molefe.

Rantho is trying to convene an urgent meeting of the committee this week, before the process gets under way.

She said she had not received a letter about the nature of the resources, but pointed out that Parliament would be giving them an evidence leader and researchers.

“And we have a date for the inquiry to commence – on September 5.”

Now that Parliament has confirmed the resources for the MPs conducting the probe, they will begin with preparation this week and then decide whether or not to commence with the inquiry next Tuesday.

The public enterprises committee is one of several committees in Parliament investigating state capture, allegedly by the Gupta brothers, who have denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, the South African Council of Churches, the State Research Capacity Project and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse presented evidence to the public enterprises committee on state capture.

This was after they had conducted their separate investigations.

The committee summoned them to the preliminary hearing into state capture.

The three organisations told MPs there was overwhelming evidence of state capture, with South Africa becoming a mafia state and a parallel state running the government.

The organisations warned that if this did not stop, it would further compromise the state, as the power had shifted from the ANC and Pretoria to a group of individuals.

They further warned that the security agencies had also been compromised.

President Jacob Zuma has been under pressure in recent months to resign from office.

But he survived a motion of no-confidence in Parliament early this month.