Gupta-owned entities’ B-BBEE certificates ‘fake’

The DA said yesterday that it will submit evidence to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture of possibly counterfeit B-BBEE certificates used by Gupta-owned companies to secure Eskom contracts.

The commission, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, got under way on Monday with the first witness, National Treasury acting chief procurement officer Willie Mathebula, testifying on Tuesday.

It will resume tomorrow when the second witness, former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, will give evidence.

The DA said in March it had laid an official complaint with the B-BBEE Commission headed by Zodwa Ntuli.

According to the party, Ntuli agreed to investigate allegations of fronting and supplying false information through B-BBEE certificates against Gupta-owned Tegeta Resources and Exploration, Optimum Coal Mining, and Trillian Consulting.

“These Gupta companies submitted certificates to Eskom during the course of 2016 to secure contracts, meet internal procurement requirements and, in the case of Trillian, to ensure payment authorisations worth billions,” the DA said.

The main opposition in parliament said Trillian and Tegeta’s certificates show that the companies may have misrepresented their B-BBEE status.

“Their annual turnover was inconsistent with that of micro-enterprises,” the party said.

“The companies were required to have a turnover of less than R5 million for the 2015-16 financial year to be considered micro-enterprises.

“However, according to a 2016 note to shareholders from Oakbay Resources, Tegeta’s assets were calculated at around R11 million, disqualifying it from being a micro-enterprise.”