DA opposes ex-Eskom CEO’s court bid

MINISTER BROWN STUDIES PAPERS

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown is perusing court documents filed by Brian Molefe to challenge his dismissal as CEO of Eskom, her office said yesterday.

“We have received Mr Molefe’s documents. Minister Brown’s legal team is studying it,” her spokesperson, Colin Cruywagen, said.

Molefe has approached the labour court after Brown last week instructed the Eskom board to rescind his controversial re-appointment at the helm of the power utility.

Khulani Qoma, spokesperson for the Eskom board, said Molefe served papers on the minister and the board. The latter had also not yet filed answering submissions to the court. “Papers were served on us on Saturday,” said Qoma.

“Our answering papers are not finalised, so I do not know yet what the trajectory of the board’s response is going to be.”

In the meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance said it would immediately oppose Molefe’s labour court challenge.

“We intend to intervene in the Labour Court proceedings at once,” said James Selfe, the chairperson of the party’s federal executive.

“Mr Molefe’s Labour Court case is based on the belief that his reappointment to Eskom on May 11 was a rational decision for the Eskom Board to make, but the DA contends that it was certainly not.”