The Treasury is reviewing the coal contracts of Eskom, which maintains that it has been cooperating with the investigation.
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“After years of allegations over state favours, murky business relationships and clear-cut nepotism between the Gupta family and President Jacob Zuma, we made the case that this constitutes prima facie evidence of such illicit activity, and called on the police to conduct a thorough criminal investigation into this matter”, Maimane said in a statement. I have asked them not to have a board meeting but hand the response over to the Treasury today. “I really believe Treasury and ourselves should meet and talk about how to resolve this matter‚” Brown said.
The department has made attempts over the past four months to get information from Eskom, including a list of payments made to Tegeta and invoices received from the company between September and April.
Molefe said allegations against the Guptas were merely “gossip and innuendo” and as long as the Guptas were not found guilty of any wrongdoing, Eskom could not merely stop doing business with them.
“At the time the contract was signed, the water licence was in place, and we provided that information to the Treasury yesterday”, said Molefe.
“I can confirm that the documents were delivered to Treasury”.
When asked whether she knew whether or not advance payments were made by Eskom to Tegeta‚ Brown said‚ like everybody else‚ she did not have the details of Eskom’s operations.
“In approving the extension, the National Treasury stated that the reason provided for the extension is that there is a need for continuous supply of coal to Komati as well as the utilisation of the stockyard at Koornfontein premises to supplement the coal stockyard at Komati”, it said.
“In line with section 6 of the Public Finance Management Act, the treasury is empowered to prescribe uniform treasury norms and standards and monitor the implementation of the Act, including any prescribed norms and standards”.
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She said the operational matters were between Eskom and the board. “I told him they had been in the country for a while and I met them, when I look at them I see they are nice people”.
