Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has come to the defence of the controversial Gupta family, saying they have been tried in a ‘kangaroo court’ and implied they have been subject to a witch hunt.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the power utility’s annual results presentation, Molefe took aim at the South African banks that had shut down the Gupta’s company accounts, saying it was a dangerous practice to simply close accounts without giving reasons.<\/p>\n
The CEO also gave a veiled accusation of hypocrisy, pointing out<\/a> that many companies and people who have been criminally charged and convicted of fraud and collusion, still have accounts open at the banks.<\/p>\n The Gupta family has faced public backlash and become the centrepiece in\u00a0discourse related to “state capture” in the country.<\/p>\n The family has been accused of using its relationship with president Jacob Zuma and his family to secure lucrative government contracts, and influence the appointment of government officials who are loyal to them.<\/p>\n However, the family has no been charged or convicted of any crimes related to these accusations.<\/p>\n “It is a dangerous culture. I have been to Limpopo where people were burnt alive because people were saying they were witches,” Molefe said. “I am interested in the reasons (for closing their accounts).”<\/p>\n It was reported in June that Eskom had\u00a0 \u201cquietly\u201d awarded Gupta-owned mining company Tegeta Exploration a contract worth R564 million, effectively saving the company from business rescue.<\/p>\n Matshela Koko, Eskom\u2019s group executive for generation said that Eskom needed the coal from Tegeta, and Tegeta needed money to get it, blaming the banks closing the Gupta accounts for creating the scenario.<\/p>\n “They required the cash, but their bank account had been closed and they had just made payment to Glencore,” he said.<\/p>\n Molefe assured stakeholders that the deal was completely above board.<\/p>\n The DA’s David Maynier, noted that in May, Molefe reportedly defended the Guptas claiming they were \u201cfriendly and likable people\u201d.<\/p>\n However, Brian Molefe seems to conveniently forget the \u201cinconvenient facts\u201d including:<\/p>\n “It\u2019s high time Brian Molefe focus on his real job, which is to keep the lights on, rather than his freelance job, which is now defender-in-chief of the Guptas,” Maynier said.<\/p>\n Watch: Oakbay CEO defends Eskom contract<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Eskom\u2019s \u2018quiet\u2019 R564 million Gupta bailout: report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n
More on Eskom and the Gupta family<\/h3>\n