TUESDAY, 9.15AM:
MINERALS and energy officials, instructed by minister Pennuel Maduna to investigate the appointment of a mysterious Liberian consultant to the Central Energy Fund, will make a decision by the year’s end. But the man whose job is most on the line is the non-executive chairman of the fund, Don Mkhwanazi, who made the appointment without consulting fellow board members or the ministry.
The appointment of Liberian Emanuel Shaw was first exposed in the Mail & Guardian a fortnight ago, which noted that he was a former minister in Liberia who used his influence to arrange oil, tourism, casino, aircraft and motor car deals for himself or his business partner. Mkhwanazi appointed him a consultant to South Africa’s Central Energy Fund for R3-m a year, a post that was not advertised.
The acting director general of minerals and energy, Dick Backer, instructed by Maduna to investigate the appointment, said on Monday that he would appoint a team that included legal experts to examine whether the appointment required board or management approval, and whether the tender board should have been involved.
Meanwhile, the oil company Engen, which has also employed Shaw as a consultant, announced that it had not been aware of his connections with the Central Energy Fund and would have to consider whether there was a conflict of interest.