Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown says a meeting held with ANC officials about the reappointment of Eskom Group CEO Brian Molefe agreed that government will resolve the matter.
This was despite ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe telling News24 that the ANC had called on Brown to rescind Molefe’s reappointment.
Mantashe reportedly said that Brown had been told that her decision would lead to court action.
The minister was "in discussion with President Jacob Zuma and his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa on the matter", Brown’s spokesman, Colin Cruywagen, said. "The meeting agreed that the government must resolve the matter."
— THE MINISTER WAS ‘IN DISCUSSION’ WITH PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
Molefe returned to his position at the state-owned utility on Monday morning after leaving amid controversy in 2016, after the release of former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report.
Following the announcement of his return last week, the ANC said the move was reckless and fed into the perception that the government was lacklustre when dealing with corruption.
The party summoned Brown to Luthuli House on Monday to explain the decision. It is understood that the deployment committee, headed by Ramaphosa, was not consulted.
Brown’s decision to endorse the Eskom board’s move to return Molefe to the post has been widely criticised — by the ANC, opposition parties and business — and is now the subject of court action by the DA.
With Natasha Marrian
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.