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Former Eskom board chairman Dr. Ben Ngubane has rejected the proposal made at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry by trial leader Pule Seleka, that Ngubane could have given the Guptas and their associates a “vision” of Eskom’s board affairs in 2015.
Ngubane returned to the witness stand at the commission chaired by Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo to give testimony related to Eskom on Tuesday.
After the lunch postponement, Zondo heard that a draft press release exchanged by email between former Oakbay CEO Nazeem Howa and Gupta’s business partner Salim Essa was to be read and issued by Ngubane on the 31st. March 2015 following the resignation of the former Eskom. The chairman of the board, Zola Tsotsi, on March 30, 2015, was finally referred to Tony Gupta on the same day.
Ngubane told Zondo that he was unaware of the email with the attached draft press statement that was sent to Gupta.
Zondo heard that the email was sent by Howa to Gupta, who responded with “ok,” which the commission chairman said could mean the draft press release was being approved.
Howa had sent the draft press release to Essa for “approval” a few minutes before forwarding it to Gupta, Zondo heard.
Ngubane told Zondo that he did not know of any other board members who interacted with members of the Gupta family or their associates, Howa and Essa, in the way that he did.
He recalled a media report from that time that he had tried to link the board members to the Guptas.
Seleka said that since Ngubane only knew of his relationship with the Guptas, Howa, and Essa as a board member, this leads one to conclude that the only way the Guptas and their associates “obtained information on the affairs of the board “could be through Ngubane.
“That would be quite a serious accusation,” Ngubane replied, adding that he has partnered with other businessmen and “that does not entitle people to treat me like a puppet.”
Ngubane told Zondo that he knew Howa because they had both been in the media industry, and that doesn’t mean the former Oakbay CEO could “run Eskom through me.”
Seleka also suggested that the face behind “entrepreneur” or “information portal” where emails containing instructions to Eskom’s board emanated was Essa, as Ngubane knew Essa and the “entrepreneur” emails had been sent directly to the former president of Eskom.
“It is a dangerous proposal because if you appear in the Zondo commission and something is said about you [it becomes known publicly] and therefore I reject that proposal, ”said Ngubane.
Ngubane told Zondo that when he arrived at Eskom, Essa’s Trillian and global consulting firm McKinsey “were very active at Eskom.”
“So if I say that I cannot name a board member who knew Essa, it does not mean that Essa had no contact with other board members because he was in Eskom,” Ngubane said.
Zondo recalled that according to previous testimony at the committee from the former head of legal and compliance at Eskom, Suzanne Daniels, there was some relationship that Essa had with the then executive of the technology group Matshela Koko and some interaction between her and the business partner. of Gupta.
Zondo noted that Koko is still expected to testify at the commission.
Seleka asked Ngubane not to be “bothered” by the proposal, and Zondo intervened to clarify that Seleka “has a duty to say what you would say if someone thought that way.”
Ngubane responded by urging the commission’s investigators to investigate who else Essa interacted with from the Eskom board.
Zondo said he is still expected to hear more Eskom-related testimony, including evidence related to McKinsey.
Ngubane’s testimony continues, watch live courtesy of SABC:
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