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#EskomInquiry: Committee moves to subpoena Ben Martins

Cape Town - Parliament's oversight committee on public enterprises on Wednesday moved to subpoena Deputy Public Enterprises Minister Ben Martins to give evidence before the committee. 

This comes after the committee earlier invited Martins to give evidence, but he in turn submitted a letter to say this was not necessary. 

The committee's chair Daphne Rantho said she received a letter from the deputy minister saying that "it cannot be assumed that a response can only be legal in person" and it was "not necessary for me to appear before the committee".

The committee was unanimous that Martins, whose name has cropped up in the hearings, must appear to give oral evidence. 

The Democratic Alliance's Natasha Mazzone said Martins was "constitutionally obligated to appear", while Mzingisi Dlamini of the Economic Freedom Fighters said "we must subpoena that drama queen".

The name of Martins cropped during the hearings, when suspended Eskom head of legal Suzanne Daniels claimed that she met with him, Ajay Gupta, Salim Essa and Duduzane Zuma in a flat near Melrose Arch in 2017.

Daniels said that the meeting was to discuss an upcoming court case of former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe.

Martins has denied the meeting.

“I am perplexed by Ms Suzanne Daniels’ testimony to the parliamentary inquiry into Eskom,” he said in a media statement in early November.

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