Johannesburg – South Africa’s opposition parties said on Friday an urgent high court action would be launched to interdict Brian Molefe from returning to Eskom.
Leaders of opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters, Democratic Alliance, African People’s Convention and the United Democratic Movement, as well as civic organisations Save SA and Freedom Movement slammed Molefe’s return to take the helm at Eskom, and accused President Jacob Zuma of “running a Gupta State”.
“It has become quite clear that a Gupta ran State, it is clear that the sovereignty of our nation has been donated to the private interests of a family. Brian Molefe does not even belong in Parliament, he should face criminal charges,” DA leader Mmusi Maimane told reporters in Johannesburg.
“We believe there are grounds to interdict this move and we have instructed our team to launch a court action. We maintain that Parliament must deal with Molefe in the same way it dealt with the SABC.”
The parties said the latest move by Molefe, who had served as MP for only two months after his resignation from Eskom, was a signature move by the controversial Gupta family.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema says the EFF and other opposition parties are going to court to interdict Brian Molefe from returning to Eskom as CEO. VIDEO: ANA
Analyst Prince Mashele, who represented civic organisation Freedom Movement, said Molefe left Eskom “pretending he was going to clear his name”.
“We believe he must steer clear of any office of leadership, either in public or private domain. He is in the pockets of a parasitic family called the Guptas……they brough Molefe back to Eskom to use him to loot the State coffers and we think that is an insult to South Africans.”
APC’s Themba Godi, also chairman of Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), said the committee expected to address the Eskom coal contracts with Gupta-owned Tegeta company, which were never approved by Treasury.
“Reports we received indicate that something was not right with the way the contracts were structured, there is a lot that needs to come out, those responsible for negotiating those contracts must be held accountable. It cannot be that a man who left Eskom under a dark cloud with intention to clear his name can then walk back like that.”
EFF leader Julius Malema said the Molefe matter could not be left to proceed “as it would turn our country into a banana republic”.
“Since the man said he is going to work on Monday, we have asked the lawyers to see if we can apply on urgent basis…he is being taken to court.”
Molefe left Eskom last year after a scathing Public Protector report implicated him in dealings with the Gupta family. Molefe cited the need to clear his name as the reason for his resignation.
Subsequent attempts by the Eskom board to award him a R30 million pension payout failed after Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown blocked the board’s plan.