Molefe admits to pension payout mistake

Members of the Public Enterprises Committee of the National Assembly, including the evidence leader Ntuthuzelo Vanara, on Tuesday grilled former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe during his testimony to the inquiry into Eskom.

Molefe is one of the key witnesses called to give testimony before the Public Enterprises Committee of the National Assembly.

Questions put to Molefe varied from his relationship with the Gupta family, his R30 million pension fund payout and the findings of the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela about the alleged phone calls he made while around the Gupta Saxonwold home, in Johannesburg.

He admitted that the power utility’s pension fund had erred in giving him the R30 million pension payout.

After flip-flopping around the issue of the pension fund transaction, evidence leader Vanara grilled Molefe into admission that there was no justifiable cause for such a payment.

In responding, Molefe said: “I have admitted that the PMG made a mistake. I have admitted that in the court papers that there was a mistake. In fact that mistake was the basis that made the legal advice.”

On the Gupta’s, he said he is not aware of any Gupta owned company being found to have done any wrong activities in their business dealings and in findings against them by the state.

He says if there’s any wrongdoing on the side of the Gupta’s, the responsibility lies with those who claim such to follow the correct procedures.

“You will have to go through a process and then notify them and then blacklist them. But they have a right to be heard before being black listed.”

“I am not aware of the Gupta companies being blacklisted or they being found guilty of a crime in South Africa.”