Jessie Duarte (Palesa Dlamini/City Press)
- The ANC has confirmed a claim by former Prasa board chairperson Popo Molefe that tipped the party’s top six off of rampant corruption at Prasa.
- But ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said Molefe had the power to take action against the corruption at the state owned entity.
- Duarte said the ANC had nothing to hide and would respond to the Zondo commission of inquiry.
ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said former Prasa board chairperson Popo Molefe, not the ANC, had the powers to act against corruption at Prasa.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Duarte said the party would respond to the Zondo commission of inquiry investigating state capture where Molefe alleged the ANC top six ignored widespread corruption at Prasa when he reported it to them in 2015.
“One of the things that became quite clear is that the power to take action in terms of the King report and in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, as well as in terms of the Companies Act was solely in his hands and with him; and at times in consultation or after consultation with the minister who was the shareholder,” Duarte said.
She confirmed that the then ANC top-six led by former president Jacob Zuma was approached by Molefe who raised corruption allegations against implicated former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana and others.
He testified before the commission how the Prasa board found corruption in a tender process for its Braamfontein depot’s modernisation to the tune of R2 billion.
“At the time he came to us, much of what he said was based on what he had heard from someone else,” Duarte said.
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She said Molefe had the power to act on the matter.
“The people responsible was him and the board at the time. They had the power to act, really.”
Molefe told the Zondo commission he had tipped off the ANC’s top six about rampant corruption at Prasa and they promised to get back to him, but never did.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said it would be interesting to hear from the ANC leadership on the matter.
“When they come here, I want to know what they did. We are all aware about what is in the public domain about Prasa and other SOEs, and it would appear these things do not start just now. And it is only proper that this commission should ask the question to some of these people: ‘Where were you and what did you do about this’?”
Duarte said the ANC’s lawyers were looking at the matter.
“We will respond to the Zondo commission. That’s where we will fully answer. There’s nothing to hide,” she said.
