Opposition parties on Tuesday laid into Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown for allowing the controversial Gupta family to infiltrate South Africa\u2019s state-owned companies.<\/p>\n
In her budget speech for the 2016-17 financial year, Brown said the government needs to retain its ownership of state-owned companies to ensure economic growth and create employment for generations to come.<\/p>\n
Responding to the speech, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Natasha Mazzone said the Department of Public Enterprises was originally established as a catalyst for privatisation. \u201cBut nowadays we are seeing privatisation in a reprehensible fashion by allowing the Guptas to gain influence in our state-owned companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mazzone called on the chairperson of the oversight committee on public enterprises to summons the Gupta family, as well as former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan and her replacement, Malusi Gigaba, to account for allegations of preferential treatment of the Gupta family.<\/p>\n
She cited the resignation of former Eskom chairperson Zola Tsotsi, the dismissal of Hogan and the suspension of three executives at Denel recently as examples of how the Guptas have \u201ccaptured\u201d state-owned companies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe minister will call me negative and say I\u2019m bringing down the country, but the DA can\u2019t support this budget,\u201d Mazzone concluded.<\/p>\n
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF’s) Nthako Matiase accused Brown of \u201cfacilitating the rot and the looting of state resources\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe EFF therefore won\u2019t support this budget vote, because we won\u2019t be party to this looting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matiase also said that a department of public enterprises is superfluous and that the various state-owned companies should move to their line function departments. \u201cDenel must go to the Department of Defence, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Inkatha Freedom Party’s Narend Singh echoed this sentiment. \u201cI\u2019m asking: is there a need for the department to continue existing? The answer is \u2018no\u2019, because of the law of diminishing returns,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n
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