Photo: Flickr / GCIS
Photo: Flickr / GCIS
The beef between the EFF and Pravin Gordhan enters a new chapter on Monday afternoon, after the Public Enterprises Minister was accused of ‘influencing Eskom’ to appoint his niece to the Board of Trustees for the energy firm’s pension fund. Hasha Tlhotlhalemaje also serves as the company’s general manager.
She has been a member of the company’s executive for years, but this latest development has irked onlookers.
Who is Pravin Gordhan’s niece?
The Red Berets issued a statement on the matter earlier in the day, after learning that there is a family relationship between Gordhan and Tlhotlhlamaje. Her recent move to the position of trustee has ruffled all the wrong feathers for the left-wing party, and it’s added more fuel to their anti-Gordhan fire.
The EFF recently called for the minister to retire, after they disagreed with his report on corruption allegations leveled against COO Jan Oberholzer. The dust has barely settled there, and once again, this connection has drawn fierce criticism from the party and their spokespersons.
EFF slam minister’s “guidance” of Eskom appointments
In their communication, party leaders have made it clear that they will also hold Cyril Ramaphosa accountable if he fails to condemn this alleged act of ‘nepotism’. The EFF state that Gordhan’s portfolio should be removed by the president, who they have implored to ‘reject corruption’:
“It boggles the mind how Pravin Gordhan saw it fit to ratify the appointment of his own niece to the Board of Trustees, an act which would be frowned upon if it was done by anyone else. The minister has an air of invincibility about him, and acts like he is not bound to the same ethical considerations as everyone else.”
“The EFF now writes to Ramaphosa, to ask him to act swiftly remove Gordhan from his ministerial position. It should also be the job of the Trade Minister [Ebrahim Patel] to oversee strategic state-owned companies.If Ramaphosa fails to act, we’ll assume he is defending corruption, and treat him how we treated Jacob Zuma.”
EFF statement
EFF Statement on the Appointment of Pravin Gordhan's Relative to the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, Nepotism and Corruption at Eskom pic.twitter.com/YvxZdTV7Fn
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) August 10, 2020
