Gloves are off between the Black Business Council (BBC) and the Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) regarding the R18- million the latter contributed to Eskom to probe allegations of corruption at the power utility.
The money was paid to George Fivaz Forensic and Risk, a firm owned by former police commissioner George Fivaz, which produced untested information riddled with conspiracy theories about coal syndicates at Eskom.
BLSA’s contribution raffled BCC’s feathers, saying it was gravely disturbed and seriously concerned that BLSA could sponsor an off-the-books investigation at Eskom.
BBC president Elias
Monage said his organisation viewed the move by BLSA as inappropriate and teetering on serious interference in the affairs of Eskom.
“The Black Business Council notes the unfolding revelation of a clandestine investigation initiated by the former Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter. It has been revealed that De Ruyter [at the end of 2021] solicited funding from private businesses for an [intelligence fraud and corruption] investigation into corruption at Eskom.
“More worrying is that the BLSA CEO, Ms Busisiwe Mavuso, was an active board member of Eskom and was seriously conflicted. This clandestine and covert investigation is both unlawful and in breach of the law as Eskom is a national key point. We also view this as a serious security breach for South Africa that cannot be left unattended,” said Monage.
In this regard, said Monage, De Ruyter is said to have colluded with BLSA and other private businesses to fund the investigation, which cost Eskom R50-million, in January last year.
“The BBC finds the clandestine investigation to have exposed the nascent agenda of BLSA as a proxy war against the African National Congress, some of its key leaders, David Mabuza and Gwede Mantashe, and a foreign country, Russia.
“South Africans now understand the orchestrated interview of Andre de Ruyter better, an interview in which he extended himself the latitude to venture into the ideological rhetoric of communism while pretending to be a guru on renewable energy. He did all this while trying to deflect his utter failure to lead Eskom,” said Monage.
He also said that BBC was also concerned about the involvement of George Fivas Forensic and Risk consulting firm and the involvement of “racist” Tony Oosthuizen.
“This clandestine investigation lays bare the old apartheid tactics, which conveniently locates the abuse of blacks at the centre of this saga. The BBC believes that BLSA, or any other entity, should instead direct such funds to the law enforcement agencies legally mandated to conduct such
investigations in a SOC. It remains the BBC’s conviction that no country anywhere in the world has built its economy or attained industrialisation on the back of renewable energy as its central source.
“There can therefore be no doubt that the promotion of the agenda of renewables is central to the initiation of this investigation,” he said.
Monage also urged the government, State Security Agency, Mabuza, Mantashe, and the governing party to report this matter to the law-enforcement agencies so the country can get to the bottom of “this atrocious act” on the part of the former Eskom CEO and those who aided him in the investigation.
BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso couldn’t comment after questions were sent to her.
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