Ngubane grilled in state capture inquiry of Eskom’s missing billions

FORMER chairperson of the Eskom board, Ben Ngubane, was the latest in a line-up of witnesses to face the wrath of MPS at the state capture inquiry on looting at the power utility.

Anoj Singh, the former chief financial officer, Matshela Koko, the former head of generation, Brian Molefe, the ex-chief executive and former chairman Zethembe Khoza were also hung out to dry by the inquiry.

It has been a tough few months for the inquiry, after they were left fuming by the R30 million paid to Molefe as a pension payout.

Koko and Singh were alleged to have paid R500m to Trillian.

The Gupta-linked Tegeta was paid R1.6 billion in prepayment to buy Optimum coal mine, the same mine now in trouble that business rescue is seeking new owners for.

Former Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown was asked on several occasions to fall on her sword after she was implicated in state capture.

Brown was put at the centre of some of the dealings at Eskom, and giving the Guptas leverage.

Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises Ben Martins denied claims by head of legal and compliance at Eskom, Suzanne Daniels that he was part of a meeting with Ajay Gupta, Duduzane Zuma and Salim Essa in Joburg last July to discuss Molefe’s court case before the ANC conference.

Daniels had her suspension lifted at Eskom by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) this week. She is expected to return to work on March 19.

Daniels had also written to Mckinsey and Trillian to pay back R1.5bn that was given to them by the power utility.

She had also told the inquiry in Parliament that Brown had not acted on the dossier she gave to her on Eskom.

But the inquiry also heard from another former board chairman Zola Tsotsi how he was invited to a meeting by Dudu Myeni at the Presidential residence in Durban in March 2015 where he was instructed by former president Jacob Zuma to suspend four top officials.

Myeni, who was the SAA board chairperson at the time, is yet to face the inquiry after she failed to on two occasions.

The National Assembly committee on public enterprises expects her this week.

She will be joined by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba who was implicated by some of the witnesses into state capture during his tenure as Public Enterprises Minister.

He has been accused of giving the keys of state-owned entities to the Guptas.