Tsotsi: 'Irate' Gigaba lambasted board over acting white Eskom CEO
The commission of inquiry into state capture has heard how an ‘irate’ then Minister of Public Enterprises Malusi Gigaba opposed the appointment of Steve Lennon as acting Eskom CEO.
This was revealed by former Eskom chairperson Zola Tsotsi, who served on the power utility’s board between 2011 and 2015.
Tsotsi gave testimony at the commission on Thursday.
“I got a phone call from minister Gigaba and he was quite irate,” he said.
“This is an experience I had never had with him before. I was extremely taken aback. I managed to calm him down and have a proper conversation with him. This was a time where we were heading towards the local government elections in 2014, and he was lambasting me for the board to have requested a white man to act when the ANC was facing a local government election.”
During his testimony, Tsotsi told the commission that the first contract between Eskom and the Gupta-owned New Age newspaper cost the power utility R7.8 million for six breakfasts.
The second contract cost the power utility R43 million for four breakfasts, according to Tsotsi.
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