STAFF REPORTER
THE Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) will visit Tutuka Power Station and Eskom Megawatt Park, this week.
The committee will also have engagements with the Eskom Board and the National Treasury.
The site visits follow Eskom Group Chief Executive (GCEO), Andre de Ruyter April appearance before Scopa wherein he made allegations of corruption, theft, maladministration, sabotage, and lack of consequence management at Eskom.
De Ruyter alleged that approximately R1 billion is stolen per month from Eskom, which includes the theft of fuel and infrastructure at the power stations. He also claimed that a senior politician is involved in the corruption and theft at the utility.
Some of the allegations made by De Ruyter were new to the committee, others were previously revealed during prior engagements and oversight visits to Eskom, and at the Zondo Commission’s State Capture Inquiry.
Scopa Chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said of particular concern regarding the allegations made in the interview is the decision-making by the national power utility’s former board members and executives that resulted in the breach of the Public Finance Management Act, which sets the prescripts for effective financial management and use of public funds.
In performing its parliamentary oversight work, Hlengwa said members are committed to getting to the bottom of the allegations made by the former Eskom GCEO and holding all those responsible to account.
The committee is of the view that a site visit to Eskom will give more insight into why the problems persist, thereby placing SCOPA in a better position to make appropriate recommendations on how these problems can be addressed.
The committee further believes that interaction with the Eskom Board and Management is crucial if any improvement is to be seen in those areas that the Auditor-General has raised concerns on.
The meeting at Tutuka power station is taking place on Monday in Mpumalanga, and then on Tuesday and Wednesday, the committee will be at Eskom Headquarters in Megawatt, Gauteng before meeting the national Treasury on Thursday.
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