Ngubane’s resignation will not exonerate him from Eskom Parliamentary Inquiry

13 June 2017

The Democratic Alliance has noted the late-night resignation of Eskom Board Chair, Ben Ngubane, hot on the heels of damning revelations of the capture of Eskom leadership by the Guptas, and the breakdown of corporate governance at Eskom.

Mr Ngubane, who presided over the retrenchment/retirement/rehire of Brian Molefe as Eskom CEO has much to answer for, not least of which includes Molefe’s R30 million ‘golden handshake’ deal and an avalanche of accusations that the Guptas have milked Eskom over many years.

Ngubane’s resignation will not exonerate him from liability for the breakdown of governance at the Power Utility, and the DA will use the Parliamentary Inquiry into Eskom, set to commence on 21 June, to hold Ngubane to account.

Allegations by former Mineral Resources Minister, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, that Brian Molefe and Ben Ngubane tried to strong-arm him to withdraw Glencore’s Optimum mining licences in order to guarantee that the Guptas takeover Glencore’s coal mines is yet to be probed, and may still find Nguabne guilty.

Additionally, the Matshela Koko R1 billion nepotism scandal, which occurred on Ngubane’s watch, is yet to be fully probed too.

Ngubane has also recently been implicated in falsifying documents in a liquidation case.

We find the clandestine hour of Ngubane’s resignation announcement to be highly suspicious.

Issued by Natasha Mazzone, Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, 13 June 2017