By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) confirmed it helped fund a probe at Eskom that would support the work of law enforcement authorities to deal with corruption at the utility.
The probe was conducted by George Fivaz Forensic and Risk (GFFR), a company owned by former police commissioner George Fivaz, and it cost an estimated R50 million.
The report contained untested allegations that came from a shadowy intelligence operative implicated in apartheid-era crimes.
BLSA said on Wednesday that former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter had approached it at the end of 2021 to fund the “probe.” Any illegal activities that were uncovered were to be shared with law enforcement.
“The proposal was focused on providing a comprehensive risk assessment on the critical infrastructure and operations of state enterprise power supply in South Africa. This assessment would be provided by a firm specialising in risk and vulnerability assessment services, and at the time of agreeing to the request, this firm had not yet been chosen,” BLSA said.
BLSA said it was not involved in the appointment of GFFR but was “comfortable” with it given Fivaz’s reputation as a person of integrity and his ongoing collaboration with law enforcement authorities, it said.
BLSA said it provides technical, financial and other forms of support to various branches of government, state institutions and NGOs in order to achieve socioeconomic growth and development objectives.
BLSA highlighted that it is assisting in addressing South Africa’s energy crisis by mobilising “substantial” financial resources to support the implementation of government’s Energy Action Plan.
On Wednesday, De Ruyter appeared before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), and was questioned on matters related to corruption, theft, maladministration, sabotage, and cartels, among others at the utility.
He had raised serious allegations of the involvement of senior politicians in corruption at Eskom during an interview with e.tv’s Annika Larsen earlier this year, and Scopa wanted to probe these further as it related to the misappropriation of public funds.
Members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) were left frustrated as De Ruyter refused to answer questions on the identity of the senior politician who was involved in wrongdoing and criminality at Eskom.
Deliberating on the way forward, ANC MP Bheki Hadebe said Scopa should invoke the relevant clause to summon De Ruyter to give further information beyond the affidavit he submitted to the committee.
“We need to have information at our disposal in order for us to determine the next cause of action,” he said.
Hadebe proposed that Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, national security advisor Sydney Mufamadi, the Hawks and Eskom’s board appear before Scopa to address the issues raised by De Ruyter.
We still have to dig further for us to arrive at exact action on whether or not we should go for a full blown inquiry.”
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Benedicta Van Minnen agreed with Hadebe’s suggestion.
“I think we need to have quite a broad approach to gathering as much information as we can, if not to uncover the actually allegations that may or may not then interfere with the investigation, but to certainly as Scopa get an idea what is going on,” she said.
Scopa chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa indicated that the committee will send further written questions to De Ruyter about interventions by Gordhan in micromanaging the board, among other matters.
The committee is expected to meet on 3 May and 9 May.
“Next week Wednesday let’s get the board in, the minister and the advisor then the 9th of May we [call] the AG [auditor-general], the Hawks, NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] and national [police] commissioner to come in. We will then take a decision moving forward,” Hlengwa said.