The country’s largest trade union federation Cosatu has become the latest organisation calling on Pravin Gordhan to release information on the SAA transaction.
Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks told Sunday World that the minister of minister of public enterprises should account to parliament.
Call for parliamentary probe
“It’s important that we respect the constitutional role of parliament at all times. This includes the executive accounting to parliament on issues of governance,” said Parks.
“If there are needs for confidentiality, parliament’s rules allow for that. We welcome government’s commitment to do so.”
His comment comes after the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said it has “noted the arrogant response given by minister Gordhan, and his obstinate refusal to hand over crucial information on the sale of SAA to members of parliament”.
“The Public Enterprises Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has unanimously agreed that it cannot provide unqualified support for the transaction for SAA to be sold to the Takatso Consortium,” said Numsa’s general-secretary Irvin Jim.
Subpoena against minister
“Furthermore, Numsa has noted that the committee has decided to subpoena minister Gordhan for his refusal to co-operate with the committee in its investigation into the deal involving the Takatso consortium.
“The committee met on Wednesday to consider the evidence and the allegations of corruption levelled by former director-general of public enterprises, Kgathatso Tlhakudi.
“Gordhan’s refusal to provide the committee with two crucial documents has meant that it is unable to finalise its investigation into allegations of irregularities. The documents which are outstanding are the shortlisted entities after the final determination was made, and the sale and purchase agreement.
State capture 2
“Numsa is vindicated because Gordhan has proven that we were right about him all along. Gordhan is presiding over State Capture 2.0 through the sale of SAA. The airline was sold for R51 in a process that remains shrouded in secrecy. Even though this is a state-owned entity, which means that as the public, we have every right to demand and receive detailed information on this deal,” he alleged.
He called for Gordhan’s dismissal.
“There are numerous reasons why Gordhan must be fired. In his tenure as minister of SOEs he has collapsed every single one of them. His disastrous track record, coupled with the dodgy SAA deal, means that his dismissal is way overdue.
“But it seems the governing party is too cowardly to act against a minister as grossly incompetent as Gordhan, and one wonders why? He does as he pleases and there are no consequences.”
Corrupt deal for friends and comrades
Jim alleged Gordhan engineered the sale of the SAA to friends and former senior leaders of the governing party.
“Jabu Moleketi is the former deputy minister of finance and also, the former MEC for Finance in Gauteng. He also served in the ANC NEC, and he just happens to be director of Harith General Partners, which owns a majority shareholding in the Takatso consortium. Numsa has been consistent about characterising this deal as corrupt, and we have been proven right,” he said.
Gordhan’s spokesperson Ellis Mnyandu responded in a statement last week. He said the department has reiterated the important role of parliament to conduct oversight and demand accountability. But it refutes claims of non-cooperation with the portfolio committee on public enterprises in its examination of the strategic equity partnership transaction for SAA.
DPE refutes allegations
The department of public enterprises (DPE) said any assertions that the proposed SAA and the Takatso Consortium deal was irregular were malicious and patently false. It said the allegations were intended to detract from the work of stabilising SAA.
“The department of public enterprises has done everything according to the prescripts of the law,” he said.
“Any attempts to continue casting aspersions about the integrity of the transaction are meant to sidetrack the public from the hard work that has gone into saving SAA and reviving it into a financially sound and viable national carrier that we can all be proud of.”
