Mungo Soggot
The corruption crisis in South Africa’s state oil industry claimed its most important casualty so far when Minister of Minerals and Energy Penuell Maduna sacked his special adviser on energy this week.
Maduna’s decision to axe his trusted aide Thulane Gcabashe, an African National Congress stalwart, has sent shock waves through the Department of Minerals and Energy, with many officials siding against an increasingly isolated minister.
News of Gcabashe’s departure leaked immediately from several officials, who also faxed out correspondence between Gcabashe and Maduna.
Maduna offered three obscure explanations for his decision, but there is no doubt in the department that the real reason was tension between the minister and Gcabashe over the Emanuel Shaw II saga.
Gcabashe has consistently opposed the head of the state oil company, Don Mkhwanazi – the man who gave Shaw, a notoriously corrupt Liberian politician, a R3-million job and then received money from him.
Maduna – who initially appeared willing to drop Shaw and Mkhwanazi – has recently astonished his civil servants with his about-face on the saga and is now openly siding with the Liberian and with Mkhwanazi.
Gcabashe’s letter of resignation suggests Maduna discussed his decision to fire Gcabashe with Mkhwanazi, who has recently had at least two audiences with Maduna.
“A friend in Durban called me and told me that Don is spreading a rumour that my days were numbered with my department. I responded by saying, perhaps he [Don] knew better. Indeed he knew. I shall cherish the good times we have had and wish you all the success.”
Gcabashe, who is married to Chief Albert Luthuli’s daughter, played an important role in forging Maduna’s energy policy and performed key administrative functions such as checking the books of the state oil company, the Central Energy Fund (CEF).
He was given his job by President Nelson Mandela, who initially offered him the ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia on his return from exile in the United States, where he was a corporate banker. Gcabashe is understood to have received many messages of support from within the party this week.
Maduna has rejected the recommendations of a commission of inquiry by his acting director general, Dick Bakker, which called on him to sack Shaw, Mkhwanazi and the CEF board. Mkhwanazi, meanwhile, last week launched a smear campaign against both Gcabashe and Deputy Director General Gordon Sibiya, claiming they had plotted a conspiracy against him.
Over the past few weeks battle lines have been drawn between Gcabashe, Bakker and Sibiya on the one side, and Maduna on the other. Sibiya has publicly attacked Mkhwanazi for his appointment of Shaw.
Neither Gcabashe nor Sibiya would comment this week, although Sibiya, contacted in Paris, said he was shocked at the news of Gcabashe’s departure.
It is understood Gcabashe has on several occasions persuaded Sibiya not to throw in the towel. Sibiya resigned from the CEF board when the Shaw scandal first broke.
Apart from Sibiya, few other staff in the department are steeped in the highly complicated South African energy scene. It has historically relied on the CEF for energy-sector expertise. But the CEF has recently lost a string of its most experienced employees, some of whom quit after Shaw’s appointment.
The first reason the minister gave for Gcabashe’s ousting was his adviser’s alleged decision to tell a conference organiser that Maduna would not be available to give a speech. Maduna said Gcabashe had written to the organiser saying “we do not know whether the minister will still be holding his position then”. The Mail & Guardian is in possession of a memo Gcabashe gave Maduna reminding him about the conference.
Maduna also alleged Gcabashe prepared a Cabinet memorandum for the minister to advance the case of US gas exploration company Santa Fe, which is keen to take over the synthetic-fuel producer, Mossgas. Mkhwanazi suggested in an interview last week that Gcabashe was in cahoots with Santa Fe.
Maduna also accused Gcabashe of making statements that contradicted him about the state subsidy given to Sasol, which has been lobbying Maduna to extend its protection beyond the year 2000.