Central figure in Eskom graft probe a no-show at Scopa
The police official delegated to engage with former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter was a no-show at the meeting with Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday.
Brigadier Jap Burger has been described as the central figure in the probe into allegations of corruption, maladministration, sabotage, and political interference at the power utility, as made by De Ruyter during an explosive Tv interview at the beginning of this year.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said that he had been expecting Burger to attend the meeting, even though he had cited concerns over his safety.
Scopa Chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa confirmed that Masemola had made him aware of Burger worry, but there was no indication that this meant he would be absent from the meeting.
“I find it therefore to be that he is AWOL [absent without leave] and I consider it to be an insubordination of yourself, national commissioner.
“I do find that his absence this morning is highly problematic in the sense that the committee has undertaken this exercise with purposes of degerming whether an inquiry into the Eskom matters, and Brigadier Burger is an integral part of the committee making this assessment.”
Masemola told Scopa that a request to have Burger appear in-camera was rejected by the committee chair, who said that the officer should make his case in person.
Committee member Bheki Hadebe, from the African National Congress, said while they had no intention of compromising the safety of individuals nor the integrity of ongoing investigations, it was important that the committee is given the information it needs to assist its work.
Scopa member Bheki Hadebe: “We are not here to compromise the safety of anyone, &that of investigations”
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) June 7, 2023
However,Hadebe tells Commissioner Masemola that the last info provided by Saps to #Scopa was lacking &didn’t assist the committee’s probe into the allegations about #Eskom pic.twitter.com/ZWqSrNgdSl
However, Alfred Lees from the Democratic Alliance said he did not believe the officer would be in danger if he appeared before the committee because his identity was already in the public domain.
He suggested that Burger must be summoned to appear before the committee.
“Without his input to us about the sequence of events that he was clearly an integral part of, we really are hamstrung in making a decision… So, I would suggest that we must now summon Brigadier Burger to come.
“To suggest that we need to protect his identity it’s not possible. The name is out there, in a big way, by none other than the commissioner and others that have put his name out there,” Lees protested.
The meeting ended with the committee chairperson committing to consulting with Parliament’s legal team on how to take the matter of Burger’s appearance forward.
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