Cape Town – Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has announced its intention to call upon former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter again, and several other individuals, as part of its ongoing investigation into corruption allegations at the power utility, reports said on Wednesday.
This move comes in response to De Ruyter’s previous claims of widespread corruption at Eskom and implicating the African National Congress (ANC) in looting the company.
As the committee continues to delve into the matter, it seeks to gather crucial information and hold those involved accountable.
During his previous appearance before Scopa, André de Ruyter declined to answer certain questions and withheld the names of two “senior politicians” allegedly linked to corruption.
According to News24, this refusal to cooperate fully has sparked outrage among members of the committee, particularly considering De Ruyter’s former position as CEO of a national key point entity.
Consequently, De Ruyter will once again face a rigorous interrogation by the committee, potentially under a subpoena that compels him to provide complete answers or potentially face a charge of contempt of Parliament, then report said.
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Chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said that the decision to issue a subpoena to De Ruyter would be made later, once the committee finalises its list of individuals to be called.
The complete list is expected to be finalised by Friday.
Alongside De Ruyter, the committee has expressed its intention to summon the Eskom board for a second appearance, as well as the Auditor-General, the director-general in the Presidency, Phindile Baleni, Business Leadership CEO Busi Mavuso, and General Jap Burger of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Hlengwa emphasized the need for a thorough engagement with Burger, to whom De Ruyter refused to speak after his interview with eNCA.
“My sense is that we need a physical meeting with General Burger given the extent to which he’s the point of convergence of all these interactions, whether it’s from Mr De Ruyter’s side, the national commissioner of police, the minister or police, minister of public enterprises, he’s a common denominator, EWN quoted Hlengwa: as saying.
Scopa is still to hear from national security advisor, Sydney Mufamadi, on Friday, after which it will refine a list of witnesses it says still need to appear before it, the report said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
