CAPE TOWN - The Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane allegedly found that Public Enterprises Minister, Lynne Brown has deluded the National Assembly regarding the association between Eskom and business consultancy firm, Trillian Capital Partners, reports Fin24.
This comes after Mkhwebane reportedly issued a report to the DA on Thursday.
The report allegedly states that Brown misled Parliament in a written response to a Parliamentary question in December 2016 about whether Eskom has made payments to Trillian. Brown said that there were no additional contracts between the power utility and Trillian. Mkhwebane, in her findings reportedly said that the complaint was proven.
The remedial action by the Public Protector now requests that the president take action against the minister. The president has 14 days for which he can submit his comments on the report and issue a report to the National Assembly for action to be taken.
In response to the report, the Ministry of Public Enterprise on Thursday issued a statement. The statement says that Brown claims she was misled by senior Eskom officials and subsequently instructed Eskom’s board to take action against these individuals.
READ ALSO: Lynne Brown 'blocked' R1.8bn supply contract to Exxaro, MPs hear
Meanwhile, Business Report reported on February 14 that mining company, Exxaro said Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown was instrumental in pushing the mining company out of Eskom’s supply contract.
Exxaro chief executive Mxolisi Mgojo told the portfolio committee on public enterprise where he gave evidence into operations at the power utility, that Brown blocked R1.8 billion in funding to the company’s Matla mine.
He told the committee that in 2016, the Eskom Board approved Exxaro’s request for funding for its Matla mine,which would have allowed it to stay in operation. Brown wrote a letter to the then Eskom chairperson Ben Ngubane in which Exxaro claimed she blocked the intended funding.
Mgojo said: “Minister Brown required Eskom, before she would grant approval to demonstrate how Eskom would use this opportunity to give socio-economic transformation imperatives of the government as the Coal Supply Agreement was signed pre-1994”.