Gigaba, Brown should step onto state capture inquiry’s red carpet – report

Irregular procurement, mismanagement, non-compliance with existing policies, malfeasance, corruption and oversight failures by ministers Lynne Brown and Malusi Gigagba were just a few of the findings released yesterday by the portfolio committee on public enterprises in its report into Eskom.

“The inquiry has exposed a set of executives and senior staff that appear to have been part of a network that actively participated in irregular, corrupt and/or otherwise unlawful contracts and processes at Eskom,” stated the report.

“Lifestyle audits of implicated individuals must be conducted and, where necessary, reports to legal, regulatory, and investigative authorities.”

It went on to say the list included department advisers and public enterprises employees, Eskom non-executive board members, Eskom staff and executives, “external persons who unduly influenced Eskom decisions, companies and persons who benefitted unduly from contracts with Eskom”.

The committee recommended criminal investigations into “possible cases of fraud, corruption, and other unlawful conduct with respect to the actions of the listed individuals and firms; and the possibility of financial crimes”.

It also recommended “the two former public enterprises ministers, Gigaba and Brown, must make presentations to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in order to share insights into the roles they played as shareholder representatives during the period of corruption and corporate capture that flourished at Eskom”.

Former public enterprises minister Lynne Brown. Picture: Gallo Images

According to the report, “baseless” legal challenges, attempts to subvert investigations, public smear campaigns and threats to the personal security of committee members, witnesses and their families were some of the conditions the committee worked under.

Threats to personal safety and security were made by anonymous parties against inquiry chairperson Zukiswa Rantho – including an anonymous threat to her child that “your mother is making life difficult for us” – DA MP Natasha Mazzone, whose car and documents were tampered with, and evidence leader advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara.

“Attempts were allegedly also made by the erstwhile state security minister Bongani Bongo to offer a bribe to advocate Vanara with a blank cheque to try to derail the work of this committee.”

Aside from Gigaba and Brown, a long list of people should “present themselves to the Zondo commission in order for them to shed more light on the allegations of corruption and state capture at Eskom during their tenure”.

These included Zola Tsotsi, Brian Molefe, Sean Maritz, Anoj Singh, Matshela Koko, Dudu Myeni, Duduzane Zuma, Rajesh “Tony” Gupta, Atul Gupta and Ajay Gupta.

Molefe’s retirement package and reappointment, Eskom’s alleged role in ensuring Tegeta was able to buy Optimum Coal Holdings, its award of an estimated R11.7 billion worth of coal contracts at inflated prices to Tegeta Exploration, the R43 million contract with the Guptas’ media company, TNA (Pty) Ltd and Eskom’s R400 million to Trillian Capital Partners “for management consulting and advisory services” were also examined.

The committee has recommended parliament hand the report, together with the documentation and the evidence gathered, to the commission into state capture for further investigation.

The report, which was more than a year in the making, was unanimously adopted by the committee.

– amandaw@citizen.co.za

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