Cape Town - The DA wants Parliament to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of corruption at power utility Eskom.
The party’s leader, John Steenhuisen, made the request to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula after former Eskom Andre De Ruyter made damning allegations in an interview with broadcaster eNCA last week, implicating some current ministers.
Steenhuisen said the nation needed to know the full truth on the matter.
“The allegations suggest that the ANC is systematically sabotaging South Africa’s electricity system to further its own corrupt aims. If true, this is treason, an unforgivable betrayal of the country by the governing party,” he said.
He said Parliament needed to take the lead and institute a thorough inquiry into the full extent of the ANC’s criminal capture at Eskom.
“An ad hoc parliamentary committee will have the power to subpoena any individual it deems necessary to come before it for questioning, including Mr De Ruyter himself.
“The inquiry will have the power to provide recommendations for further action based on the testimonies and evidence gathered.”
In his motion, Steenhuisen said his party recalled that De Ruyter alleged that he had on one occasion pointed to a serving minister that a high level politician was intricately involved.
He also said the official opposition acknowledges that, according to Mr De Ruyter’s estimate, Eskom was losing R1 billion a month to corruption and theft by people with alleged links to the ANC.
Steenhuisen said the ad hoc committee should inquire into the full extent of the alleged widespread corruption and unabated criminal networks and cartels at Eskom.
He said the committee should have 11 voting members drawn from the ANC, DA, EFF, and two other parties, as well as non-voting members.
His motion said the committee should report on its work to the House on June 15.
Steenhuisen said the establishment of the ad hoc committee should be debated and voted on in the plenary of March 16.
He said the ANC has been vocal in denying its involvement in the alleged corruption at Eskom.
“If the governing party is indeed innocent, it should strongly support the DA’s request for an ad hoc parliamentary committee, both to clear its name and to identify the true perpetrators of Eskom corruption.
“This should be the first step in bringing an end to the criminal capture of our institutions and state-owned entities by the ANC and an end to the ANC-created load shedding disaster,” Steenhuisen said.
Cape Times