‘Revolting’ – Brian Molefe throws Ramaphosa, Glencore under the bus at Zondo commission

There was no load shedding at Eskom for three years. It came back only after Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president, and after the R1 billion ANC conference in Nasrec.

This is according to the power utility’s former chief executive officer Brian Molefe, in his opening remarks on Friday at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

He also said that Glencore, the Anglo-Swiss multinational, did not do a “due diligence” on the company it bought, Optimum Coal Mining. Instead, he said, it roped in Ramaphosa as chairperson in order to exert political pressure on Eskom bosses for their own benefit.

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Molefe said that Ramaphosa’s actions were “revolting”, because he was aware that he was being used for his political influence.

According to Molefe, Ramaphosa bought 9.6% of the shares from Glencore and was so immediately made chairperson of Optimum, because he was their “best bet”.

Molefe said that he did not know why the focus was on Gupta-owned Tegeta, when the company only supplied 4% of coal to Eskom, adding that nothing was said the four other white-owned companies that had 40-year contracts and supplied about 80% of the coal at the power utility.

This is a developing story. Molefe’s testimony at the commission continues live below:

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