ANC MPs want the Guptas to be summoned to parliament

African National Congress MPs infuriated with the controversial Gupta family’s alleged influence over the procurement deals of state-owned companies are reportedly considering summoning them to parliament.

On Thursday, during a meeting between the portfolio committee on public enterprises and state-owned arms manufacturer Denel, ANC MP Zukile Luyenge proposed that the family be called to account before MPs following the mention of their name during the committee’s meetings this week, especially with regards to the divisive reinstatement of Brian Molefe as Eskom CEO, discussed by the committee on Tuesday, TimesLIVE reported.

Parliamentary committees have the legal authority to summon any person or an operating entity in the country to appear before it terms of the Powers‚ Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act.

According to the report, the meeting was called to discuss progress that Denel had made regarding disciplinary action against three of its former top executives‚ CEO Riaaz Salooje‚ CFO Michael Mhlotho and company secretary Elizabeth Africa, who have since left the company between 2016 and 2017.

The parastatal’s board reportedly put them on suspension following their refusal to comply with its instructions to facilitate joint ventures with Gupta-linked firms Denel Asia and VR Laser SA. Duduzane Zuma, President Jacob Zuma’s son‚ is said to have shares in VR laser.

MPs tore into the controversial ventures saying they could not understand why Denel needed financially struggling “middlemen” to grow their businesses in the Middle East and arms procurement markets.

“Let’s just call these Guptas, and they must tell us how did they come to provide services at the level at which they are doing‚” said Luyenge.

Pravin Gordhan on his second day as a member of the committee did not mince his words following his debut as a member of the committee on Tuesday. He slated Eskom’s board and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown over Molefe’s reappointment and challenged the board to come clean on the power utility’s affairs.

The former finance minister, who was fired in President Zuma’s midnight Cabinet reshuffle on March 30, told chairperson of Denel’s board Daniel Mantsha they had failed to demonstrate to the citizens that they had not been captured by certain families.

“We need to be convinced how it is possible that out of all the entities that might be involved‚ an entity belonging to a particular set of families‚ is always the one that we go to‚” Gordhan said.

Mantsha in his response suggested that Gordhan’s comments had been influenced by “fake news” and denied that the arms maker had been captured.

“All these perceptions are not born out of facts. Most of these perceptions are as a result of fake news that is filling our country, and unfortunately‚ from where we’re sitting‚ it’s very difficult to deal with fake news. No‚ no‚ no‚ we run the business in the best interest of the republic … we have not been captured at all‚” he said.

Mantsha is apparently also a legal adviser to Faith Muthambi‚ a known staunch supporter of Zuma. The minister was move to the public service and administration department after serving as the minister of communication.

The committee has ordered Denel to submit due diligence reports by multinational law firms Dentons and ENS Africa‚ which apparently advised against Denel’s business ventures with the Gupta-linked companies, according to the report.

MPs have also decided to summon Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and Brown to further account on the matter.

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