Hlengwa REPRIMANDED by IFP over clash with Eskom board member

SCOPA Chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa may have apologised to Eskom board member Busisiwe Mavuso after their heated exchange, but not before being scolded by his party, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

Mavuso and Hlengwa clashed when Eskom management met with SCOPA to shed light on the situation at the utility. Mavuso told Hlengwa that the ANC-led government should be blamed for the failures at Eskom, which he didn’t take too kindly to.

They had a rather intense exchange, which culminated in Mavuso leaving the proceedings after being told by Hlengwa to  “behave” herself or leave the sitting. There has since been much reaction to the incident, including from the DA, which has also echoed Mavuso’s sentiments. The pair have since buried the hatchett after Hlengwa issued her an apology, saying his reaction could have been handled much better during those proceedings.

YOU CAN ALSO READ: Eskom board member doesn’t regret leaving SCOPA meeting

IFP CALLS HLENGWA TO ORDER FOR CLASHING WITH MAVUSO

According to Sunday Times, Mkhuleko Hlengwa was interrogated by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the IFP on Monday, just days after that sitting. The publication has cited sources which claim the NEC reckons Hlengwa denied South Africans the chance to hear from Busisiwe Mavuso, who gave her thoughts on what led to the crisis at the embattled power utility.

That’s not all – the IFP deems his handling of the matter as tantamount to shielding the ANC from accountability.

But IFP deputy president Mzamo Buthelezi told Sunday Times there was nothing odd about the way the matter involving Hlengwa and Mavuso was handled.

When he spoke to a radio station about the incident, he said he had a responsibility to protect the integrity of the very committee he chairs, which is also Parliament’s watchdog. Hlengwa says SCOPA needs to operate within its rules and not engage in partisan politics, which he believes it descended into when Mavuso mentioned the ANC.

“The ANC mess is not in dispute, but the politicking of it is not the purview of the committee. Let me also hasten to say, it could have been very easy for me as an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) MP to jump on to the anti-ANC outlook which was clearly loud. Because whilst I agree with it, but I must also maintain the fact that the committee as a multi-party committee must not engage in the partisan politics in the manner that it did,” he said.

YOU CAN ALSO READ: Busisiwe Mavuso’s ANC remarks ‘are not in dispute’ – Hlengwa