Cape Town – Parliament’s inquiry into allegations of corruption and maladministration at power utility Eskom finally gets underway on Tuesday, after it was scheduled to start on August 1.
The Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises said it will be briefed by the universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch on Tuesday.
Acting committee chairperson Zukiswa Rantho said the two institutions were invited because they published a book that highlights the activities linked to the capture of Eskom by the Guptas and mismanagement of state funds.
The book was published as a resource for the committee’s inquiry into Eskom. “The institutions will detail the activities that happened in Eskom,” said Rantho.
The book was authored by Professor Anton Eberhard and Catrina Godinho of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. Research support was provided by Lauren Hermanus and Jesse Burton. It is also a part of the State Capacity Research Project - a group of academics from research institutions at the Universities of Stellenbosch, Witwatersrand, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
WATCH: Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and Professor Anton Eberhard discuss Eskom Inquiry book
- READ - ANTON EBERHARD: Eskom and the state capture story
“The committee will be under considerable pressure to drive a targeted investigation that ultimately brings to light the information necessary to more fully understand the manner in which the governance of key institutions may have been repurposed to facilitate large-scale corruption by a politically connected elite,” the authors of the book explain in its preface.
“The authors of this reference book have set out to provide an independent, accessible, concise, and fact-based account of some, but not all, of the alleged instances of governance failure and corruption at the largest SOC - Eskom.
“The authors hope that a streamlined and objective account of the deeply complex challenges facing the power utility will be of assistance to the Committee, as well as members of the general public.
“Beyond shedding light on specific instances of wrongdoing – whether through dereliction of duty or overt corruption, it is hoped that the committee will also probe higher level structural and governance questions in order to make recommendations around strengthening and reforming institutions in the future.”
DOWNLOAD PDF: The full Eskom Inquiry booklet
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