A former Eskom consultant has told the Zondo commission how former SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni had pushed for an inquiry into Eskom in 2015 at the behest of former president Jacob Zuma.
Nicholas Linnell took the stand at the inquiry on Monday. The inquiry is this week investigating the details surrounding an Eskom inquiry which was implemented in 2015 and saw four Eskom executives, including chief executive Tshidiso Matona, being suspended.
Linnell was approached by Myeni to act as a consultant and oversee the inquiry into Eskom.
Linnell has been described as “a fixer” for Myeni because of the work he had performed in various state-owned enterprises of which Myeni was a board member.
The inquiry had previously heard evidence from former Eskom board chairperson Zola Tsotsi about the details surrounding the establishment of the inquiry into Eskom’s affairs.
Tsotsi said Myeni had chaired a meeting held Zuma’s official residence in Morningside, Durban, where the structure of the Eskom inquiry was conceived. He also confirmed Zuma had attended the meeting.
Linnell corroborated large parts of Tsotsi’s evidence. He said he was called by Myeni on March 6, 2015 to attend a meeting at Zuma’s official residence in Pretoria.
At the meeting, Myeni explained to Linnel that Zuma wanted an inquiry to be launched to investigate affairs at Eskom. He said, in his understanding, Myeni was acting on Zuma’s wishes and his presence was required to confirm whether he would be able to co-ordinate such a project.
Zuma did not attend that meeting, but another one was scheduled for March 8, 2015 at Zuma’s residence in Durban.
At the Durban meeting, Linnell said, were Myeni, Myeni’s son Thalente, Tsotsi and another man only known as Jabu. Zuma joined the group later.
Linnell said Myeni set out the terms for the inquiry and a broad discussion took place about how it would be conducted.
It was proposed that three members of the executive would be suspended.
Linnell said after Zuma joined the meeting, the group made a presentation to him based on the inquiry. It was agreed that Tsotsi would seek the board’s approval and that Zuma would explain the need for the inquiry to the then-minister of public enterprises, Lynne Brown.
Linnell said Zuma gave the go-ahead for the inquiry at the meeting.
When asked whether he had questioned Myeni’s role in establishing an inquiry into an entity she was not employed by, Linnell said he understood without question that Myeni was a confidant to Zuma.
“She was well known as a close political ally to the president. Her role was that she was a confidant and an ally of the president.
’’She was not there for SAA. She was there because she was his intermediary. I did not have to ask the question because it was clear in my mind,” Linnell said.
On the legality of Zuma’s push for an inquiry into Eskom and what would seem like unlawful involvement, Linnell said in his mind, Zuma’s concerns and actions were warranted as the head of state.
“In my mind, this was the right move, this was his job and what was expected of him (Zuma),” Linnell testified.
In an affidavit, Myeni supplied to Parliament’s inquiry into Eskom, she denied that Zuma was present at March 8 meeting. Linnell told the commission that Zuma was there.
“Without any doubt, Mr Chairman (Zuma) was in the meeting. He asked half a dozen questions (testing his understanding of what was discussed) and that was it. And he (Zuma) finally said go and do it,” Linnell recalled.
After this meeting, Eskom’s board resolved to suspend four executives and implement an inquiry.
It was widely believed that the inquiry and suspension of Eskom’s executives was to make way for “Gupta-associated” executives to be appointed at Eskom.
Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh, who had been accused of signing off on Gupta-linked deals, were appointed months after Matona had left Eskom following his suspension.
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Source: IOL
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