Parliament probe into Eskom, state capture findings set to begin

Published Jul 24, 2017

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A probe into Eskom and damning findings on state capture starts tomorrow in

Parliament.

This was confirmed by acting chairperson of the public enterprises committee Zukiswa Rantho yesterday.

The committee is one of four portfolio committees set up by Parliament to investigate state capture. Rantho said tomorrow’s meeting will start with testimony from the South African Council of Churches (SACC) and the State Research Capacity Project about their damning findings implicating top government and State-Owned Enterprises officials in links to the Guptas and their associates.

In addition, the committee has already sent letters to President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma, and the Guptas ordering them to appear before the committee. Duduzane is said to have several business ties with the Guptas.

Rantho explained that the inquiry by the committee would also look at the issues raised in the leaked Gupta emails.

The SACC set up a panel to investigate state capture after then-public protector Thuli Madonsela released her report last year. Zuma was implicated in state capture, but the president said he was never given an opportunity to respond and has challenged it in court.

But the SACC and State Capacity Research Project reports have made serious findings against Zuma, the Guptas and other senior government officials and ministers.

Other committees that have been tasked to investigate state capture include Home Affairs, Energy and Transport.

House chairperson Cedric Frolick ordered the four committees to investigate allegations of state capture.

Opposition parties had wanted an ad hoc committee to investigate state capture, but Parliament ordered the four committees to look into it.

The start of the inquiry comes a week after Eskom released its results where it showed poor financial performance. The results showed that Eskom’s profit plunged from R5.2 billion to almost R900 million. 

The public enterprises committee also demanded answers on Eskom’s contracts and wants to get to the bottom of the crisis at the power utility. Other than the parliamentary inquiry into Eskom, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown has set up her own investigations.

She wants to get a retired judge to preside over a probe to be led by the Special Investigating Unit.

Yesterday Zuma’s criticism of the ANC’s alliance partner, the SACP, which has called for his head over state capture and his relationship with the Guptas, was rejected by the party’s first general secretary Solly Mapaila. 

Zuma’s comparison of the relationship of the communists of Moses Kotane, the ANC of Albert Luthuli and those of today was inaccurate as Luthuli “had not given up the ANC”.

“There is evidence showing how he (Zuma) has given over government to some people outside the movement,” Mapaila said.

Zuma came down harshly on the SACP at the weekend in his address at the 50th anniversary of the death of Luthuli, in Groutville, KwaZulu-Natal, calling the communists careless for criticising the ANC and accusing them of not understanding sufficiently the importance of the relationship with the ANC. 

But Mapaila has rejected the claims: “Moses Kotane would never have kept quiet if the ANC was run the way it is today.”

Mapaila highlighted that the SACP still needed the ANC, but did not need a morally corrupt leader in charge of the party and would continue to speak out. “At our congress, we reaffirmed the need for the alliance, but the ANC must clean out the rot with the president, who is... associated with corrupt individuals.” 

Mapaila also said Zuma’s stance in questioning the credibility of the SACP in an attempt to defend himself was pointless.

Zuma’s criticism was echoed by ANC KZN chairperson Sihle Zikalala, who said SACP leaders of yesteryear never tried to undermine the leadership of the ANC.

Political analyst Protas Madlala said Zuma speaking out against the SACP could only further tensions. “Since he was elected there has been division after division. The SACP isn’t against the ANC, they are against Zuma.” 

He added traditionally alliance partners used to debate and come out united, but that Zuma had himself to blame for the SACP’s public call for him to step down.

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