Johannesburg - The One South Africa (OSA) Movement has vowed to stem out corruption and has kicked off its campaign with investigations relating to graft at Eskom.
The party led by Mmusi Maimane on Wednesday indicated that it was pleased with the power utility’s move to appoint an external service provider in probing the Optimum coal mine business rescue process.
Maimane indicated that the investigators from Chavani Risk Advisory and Forensic Services have a mandate to investigate allegations and said they hope they will be able to give them supplementary questions as they want to get to the bottom of the matter.
Maimane said the investigators would be working on this matter for four months. They are then expected to give out a preliminary report.
He met the investigators in Pretoria East on Wednesday.
In March this year, Maimane wrote to the Eskom board and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. Maimane said he was glad that Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter had appointed external investigators.
Maimane said he wrote the letters requesting the immediate launch of a full-scale forensic audit into the operations of a company called Centaur Ventures between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018.
Maimane said Centaur is a large creditor of Optimum Coal Mine and stands to benefit from the current business rescue plan agreed to by Eskom.
“We are of the view that the business rescue process must be halted and that the investigation – for which I am grateful that De Ruyter has commissioned an external service – takes the matter very seriously. We have made an oral submission today. We will put up more written submissions going forward with some of the whistle-blowers who have made contact with us. This is a question of a few billion rand that will come out of the business rescue process. Remember, this is for the procurement. Centaur wants to be able to gain ownership of Optimum mine.
“Furthermore, in the nature of coal contracts that were negotiated, we want to have those re-looked at so we don’t end up in a scenario – which is what South Africa is facing now – where ordinary citizens are paying an additional 15% of energy increases for the next number of years. We feel that is a burden that South Africans must pay for, that was inspired by the Gupta-owned companies,” said Maimane.
Maimane said Optimum Coal Mine is in business rescue following the pillaging of the mine’s resources and finances by the Guptas, leaving Eskom’s coal supply in a precarious position. The mine was run on a basis where profits were stripped out, and little or no capital and/or maintenance expenditure took place.
He said, since then, there have been attempts to liquidate as well as rescue Optimum by several players.
“A company called Centaur Ventures, one of Optimum’s primary creditors, has a questionable link with the Gupta family, which is of public knowledge, being that Centaur was until recently 50% owned by Akash Garg, who was the bridegroom in the Gupta Sun City wedding in 2013.
“There appear to be unconfirmed links between Centaur and the Guptas, including that the company was used as an export conduit to launder the Gupta money out of South Africa via Bermuda. This, despite Centaur having no experience in coal trading.
“It is common cause that Centaur has been in a long legal battle to gain control over Optimum. On July 24, 2020, a Gupta-run company called Griffin Line General Trading, based in Dubai, was awarded a $100 million (about R1.496 billion) claim against Centaur by the Bermuda Supreme Court,” Maimane said.
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said the meeting was to give Maimane an opportunity to provide information and evidence to assist the process he had requested.
“I am aware that Eskom has facilitated a meeting with Maimane with a view to obtaining further clarity and evidence on his request on the Optimum business rescue process,” said Mantshantsha.
Political Bureau