Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown.
UPDATE: Lynne Brown will make an announcement on Brian Molefe’s future at 1pm
Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown told Parliament on Wednesday that the inter-ministerial committee tasked with investigating Brian Molefe’s reappointment as Eskom chief executive has made its decision.
Brown appeared before the National Council of Province’s select committee on communications and public enterprises. She said she would inform the Eskom board of the consensus reached by the inter-ministerial committee and an announcement would follow thereafter.
“I know that members would like me to announce the outcome of these deliberations. But all I can promise is that the announcement will be made soon,” Brown said.
President Jacob Zuma established the inter-ministerial committee after widespread public outrage over Molefe’s return to Eskom. The members of the committee are Brown, Justice Minister Michael Masutha, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
Brown told members of Parliament that it was “natural justice” that she inform the Eskom board of decisions made by the inter-ministerial commitee before it was made public in Parliament.
Her remarks come after members of the ANC national executive committee agreed over the weekend that Molefe’s reappointment at Eskom should be “rescinded”.
There’s been confusion about Molefe’s return to Eskom because no truthful reason has seemingly been given for his reappointment. Molefe famously left Eskom after making a tearful announcement at a press conference after the release of the public protector’s State of Capture report. He said at the time that he was resigning “voluntarily in the interest of good co-operative governance”.
It then emerged that Molefe had allegedly been granted an early pension payout of R30-million from the power utility. Brown blocked this payment. On his return to Eskom earlier this month, Molefe and Brown said in affidavits that he had been on “unpaid leave”.
The Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters have taken the matter to court. They are applying to have Molefe’s reappointment reviewed and set aside.
If the inter-ministerial committee follows the calls made by the ANC, many South Africans and opposition parties, then the court bid may become unnecessary – Molefe’s return could be shorter-lived than the time it would take for a judgment to be delivered.