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By Loyiso Sidimba 
1 hour ago
Johannesburg – Former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe on Friday accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of being effectively used by mining giant Glencore for political protection and to sell off his considerable influence.
Molefe told the state capture commission of inquiry that Ramaphosa was aware of what Glencore wanted to accomplish when it appointed him president of Optimum Coal Mine (OCM) in 2012 after he acquired the company which he later sold to the controversial fugitive family. Gupta.
“Ramaphosa must have known what Glencore was looking to achieve; He was president of a company that was bought without due diligence, he was president when the sanctions were imposed, he was still president of OCM when the illegal agreement was negotiated that sought to increase the price of coal from R150 and nullify the sanctions negotiated with certain members of the Eskom staff in 2014, ”Molefe testified.
He was referring to the R2 billion in fines that Eskom issued to Glencore.
“He knew they were using him for his political position and he hoped to influence matters in Glencore’s favor,” Molefe said.
The former CEO of Public Investment Corporation and Transnet added: “He is not naive and has been dealing with corporations that gave him their riches.”
Molefe’s testimony is not the first time claims have been made that Ramaphosa used his political influence to favor Glencore.
In his 2016 book, Murder At Small Koppie: The Real Story of the Marikana Massacre, photojournalist Greg Marinovich writes that one interviewee, who wanted to remain anonymous, told him that a Glencore executive informed business partners that “no I want to be crude, but we did it ”and that Shanduka Coal, which was Ramaphosa’s company at the time, was the front for Glencore.
When the book was published, Ramaphosa was the country’s vice president, and his office denied the claims.
Molefe said Glencore made Ramaphosa rich.
Glencore is a billion rand company, its black economic empowerment partner Ramaphosa later became vice president and president of the country.
And this happened without any period of reflection, it is rumored that his campaign to be president of the ANC was financed by a sum of R1 billion, this was unprecedented in the ANC, and dare I say, it was not in line with the culture . , values and ethos of the ANC that I had come to know and of which I am still a member, ”he said.
According to Molefe, mere mortals like him simply don’t stand a chance when faced with these powerful forces trying to extort 8 billion rand from the state entity Eskom.
The R8 billion is what Glencore’s claim, that Eskom raises the price of coal per ton from R150 to R530, would have cost the energy company over three years and the cancellation of R2 billion in fines, incurred by the company.
Molefe also expressed his displeasure with former public protector Thuli Madonsela for her 2016 capture status report that led to the establishment of the commission.
“It is clear that Glencore had unrestricted access to Thuli Madonsela and was able to impress him what his problem with Eskom was,” he said.
Molefe accused Madonsela of not bothering to interview him for his version of the story, as required by the Public Protection Act.
She did none of that, proceeded with unprecedented haste to write and label as final a report that has been used to lynch certain people, including myself, and that led to this commission. This commission is the daughter of a report that was drawn up under very suspicious circumstances, ”he complained.
Molefe was unable to complete his testimony on Friday after the chairman of the commission, Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo, announced that an official who worked closely with him tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the second judge to greater range of the country to isolate itself.
Political Bureau
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