Cape Town – Action SA leader Herman Mashaba, has said that Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan‘s response to former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s allegations reaffirmed the opposition party’s belief that “the ANC is a criminal syndicate which exists to enrich its own members”.
De Ruyter claimed that “Eskom is a feeding trough for the ANC” during an interview with etv journalist Annika Larsen.
During the interview, the former Eskom CEO also alleged that a high-level politician was involved in the corruption. He added that when he approached a minister to report the politician, this particular minister said, “I guess it was inevitable that it would come out anyway”.
In an interview with Newsroom Afrika, Gordhan confirmed that De Ruyter approached him to discuss the corruption taking place in Eskom and the alleged role that an unnamed government official had in it.
“Yes, he has made illusions about certain individuals. But, it was precisely that: illusions,” Gordhan said.
“And as far as the law is concerned, and as far as my understanding of the law is concerned, I can’t just point to the person and say, ‘that person is involved’ in whatever the suggestion is about either being corrupt or being involved in corruption.
“We cannot rely on rumour, suspicion or even what a certain publication calls ‘intelligence’. There’s a distinction between that and evidence.”
Mashaba alleged that Gordhan’s response corroborated the assertions made by De Ruyter.
“It furthermore shows that minister Gordhan would shield his peers from addressing corruption allegations and would instead blame the whistleblowers who raise them such as De Ruyter,” Mashaba said in a statement.
The Action SA leader pointed out the failure to solve corruption cases opened by whistleblowers who were instead “persecuted for raising alarm”. He further alleged that the criminal investigations opened by De Ruyter and Eskom were still incomplete.
“Minister Gordhan’s comments reaffirm ActionSA’s belief that the ANC is a criminal syndicate which exists to enrich its own members. The organisation will do everything in its power to protect its own members than investigate serious allegations of corruption, similar to what we have seen with Phala Phala.
“South Africa can be a prosperous country which provides meaningful employment and living conditions for all those who live in it,” Mashaba said.
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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin
