Manyi touts Molefe as finance minister

THE Progressive Professionals Forum (PPF) has backed Brian Molefe’s appointment to Parliament, saying he was best suited to be the new finance minister.

PPF president Mzwanele Manyi said yesterday his organisation did not understand what the noise was about because Molefe was qualified academically and professionally.

He had led some of the best organisations in the country, such as Transnet and Eskom.

The PPF support for Molefe came as ANC structures in North West questioned his credentials and membership.

ANC provincial chairman and North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo also backed Molefe.

Manyi said they applauded the ANC for sending Molefe to Parliament. “We applaud the ANC and Parliament for identifying such talent. We think Brian has the requisite skills and he has a spectacular track record of success. If merit is anything to go by, he has a lot of that.

“To those throwing all kinds of mud, South Africa is a constitutional democracy and has a rule of law. There is no adverse finding against him by any court,” said Manyi. Molefe’s arrival in Parliament continues to be mired in speculation.

Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said yesterday that no date had been set for the swearing in.

It would be determined by the availability of Speaker Baleka Mbete and Molefe.

Earlier ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu would not say where Molefe would be deployed in the National Assembly.

It is not clear yet if he will be sworn in before Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan delivers his Budget.

Gordhan’s Budget is on Wednesday, and it could be his last if Molefe is appointed in the coming days.

IN NOVEMBER last year, Brian Molefe resigned as Eskom boss following then public protector Thuli Madonsela’s damning State of Capture report linking him to alleged dodgy dealing by the wealthy and politically connected Gupta family.

Molefe wept at a press conference, at which he denied any wrongdoing and announced that he was resigning to clear his name. Many applauded him for taking responsibility and resigning after the allegations had emerged.

But soon after he left Eskom, rumours emerged that Molefe would be appointed finance minister to replace the embattled Pravin Gordhan, who is seen as a stumbling block by those wanting unlimited access to the national purse.

On Friday, Parliament announced that Molefe would soon be sworn in as an ANC MP.

This elicited a wave of public anger and soon divided the ANC. Reports indicate that Madibeng municipality’s Ward 29 branch in Hartbeespoort, where Molefe is said to be a member, says it does not know him and that he has never attended any of its meetings.

It has also emerged that Molefe may have been parachuted into Parliament ahead of other candidates on the North West list. The ANC provincial leadership has rubbished these claims.

Molefe may be sworn in on Wednesday, just moments before Gordhan presents what some say may be his last Budget speech before he is replaced by Molefe in a looming cabinet reshuffle.

But whatever happens now, Molefe’s nomination to Parliament raises many questions about democracy in the ANC and about the party’s penchant for deploying to Parliament cadres with a cloud over their heads.

Although Molefe’s record in the public service is unquestionable, having led the Public Investment Corporation and turned Eskom around, he still needs to clear his name, as he promised, and to assure the public that he is not in any way linked to the alleged dodgy business dealings of the Gupta family and their associates.

That’s what he promised us when he left Eskom in a huff last year.

The ANC nomination of Molefe to Parliament before he can clear his name shows disdain for the public. It does Molefe no good to take this cloud to Parliament or government.

He must clear his name first. That’s what he promised us.