Eskom ‘ordered’ to sponsor Gupta breakfast
Eskom's acting general manager Pieter Pretorius claims the power utility was ordered to sponsor Gupta-owned newspaper The New Age (TNA) business breakfast for R1 million.
Pretorius made the allegations at the commission of inquiry into state capture on Tuesday.
He says Malusi Gigaba - who was public enterprises minister when Eskom entered into a sponsorship - is the one who gave the go-ahead.
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Pretorius explained that the proposal was for the breakfasts to take place at a hotel, for a minister or celebrity to attend, and it would be advertised on the SABC.
"Then they would sell tickets to the events so that people who wanted to attend would either buy corporate tables or single seats at these events. They would then - according to New Age - they would also promote the business breakfast through their newspaper and allegedly SABC would also promote it on radio and their website.
"It was proposed that Eskom would sponsor the breakfast initially for R1 million a breakfast.”
Gigaba is said to have used his influence to intervene in contractual negotiations between Eskom's marketing division and associates of the Gupta family.
Gigaba denied the claims in his responding affidavit to the commission, saying this would have amounted to interference in the business of Eskom.