Molefe gets his comeuppance

One wonders – and only partially tongue-incheek – whether Brian Molefe, former CEO of the shambles of a power utility Eskom, may have been wanting to drown his sorrows yesterday … and whether he may have done so at the legendary “Saxonwold Shebeen”.

The reference to a theoretical drinking hole was made by Molefe in response to findings in an investigation into state capture by the then public protector, Thuli Madonsela, which found Molefe’s cellphone made scores of calls in the Saxonwold vicinity, which is where the Gupta family have their luxury compound.

Molefe’s cocky and cavalier dismissal of Madonsela’s report also characterised his behaviour on his departure from Eskom, first described as a resignation and then as a retirement.

His attitude showed he regarded himself as almost an “untouchable” because of his connections to the Guptas and those around President Jacob Zuma.

So, he would have come crashing to earth yesterday when the High Court in Pretoria ruled that the R30 million pension payout was a scam and he would have to pay back the R11 million already paid to him.

Molefe’s comeuppance is satisfying – but it is only part of a comprehensive house-cleaning of state owned enterprises – and Eskom in particular – which has been put into motion by president-in-waiting Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa started the process before he went to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, because he knew the international community of investors and bankers wanted to see signs of real change in South Africa, and a determination to root out corruption.

There are a number of other processes in progress, including seizures of suspect assets, which show that the winds of change are blowing.

A combination of strong political will and the power of the courts and our laws will, hopefully, start to close a shameful chapter in our history.

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