Africa-Press – South-Africa. The DA insists that a parliamentary ad hoc committee should investigate allegations of systemic corruption at Eskom.
On Tuesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced that he had written to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to ask for the urgent establishment of such a committee.
“Ex-CEO André de Ruyter’s [eNCA] interview last week strongly suggests that Eskom power stations, the heartbeat of the nation’s economy, are under siege from a corrupt network of ANC-connected cartels. Some allegations point to the involvement of individuals who currently serve in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet,” Steenhuisen said in a statement.
“The nation needs to know the full, unvarnished truth. The allegations suggest that the ANC is systematically sabotaging South Africa’s electricity system to further its own corrupt aims. If true, this is treason – an unforgivable betrayal of the country by the governing party.”
He added that Parliament should take the lead in inquiring into the “full extent of the ANC’s criminal capture at Eskom”.
An ad hoc committee will have the power to subpoena anyone it deems necessary to come before it for questioning, including De Ruyter himself, according to him. It will also have the power to provide recommendations for further action on the basis of testimony and evidence gathered.
“The ANC has been vocal in denying its involvement in corruption at Eskom. If the governing party is indeed innocent, it should strongly support the DA’s request for an ad hoc parliamentary committee, both to clear its name and to identify the true perpetrators of Eskom corruption,” Steenhuisen said.
“This should be the first step in bringing an end to the criminal capture of our institutions and state-owned entities by the ANC, and an end to the ANC-created load shedding disaster.”
According to Steenhuisen, the National Assembly will debate whether to establish the committee on 16 March.
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