Optimum coal mine
Zondo not buying Daniels didn’t have power to advise board on Tegeta prepayment
She was been testifying before the state capture commission on Friday on a R1.68 billion coal purchase prepayment.
Suzanne Daniels said while Matshela Koko instructed her to draft a board resolution to prepay the Optimum Coal Mine R1.68 billion, he didn’t specifically say ‘issue a guarantee’ - yet it was eventually done.
Mark Pamensky has concluded another sitting at the state capture commission where he denied that he advised the Guptas based on privileged Eskom information.
Former Eskom board member Venete Klein has told the state capture commission that she reasonably believed that the payment was for the Optimum Coal Mine under Glencore.
He told the state capture commission on Wednesday that he didn’t ask what the board proposal meant by "proposed owners".
The 'Mail and Guardian' newspaper reported on Friday morning that the Hawks were probing a case of fraud, theft and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act that was recently opened against the President.
And he hopes he will give his version on the currently overwhelming perspective that shows how the state-owned enterprise was biased against the Optimum Coal Mine (OCM) and for Tegeta.
Dr Ben Ngubane testified at the state capture inquiry where he said that Glencore supplied the country's power utility with sub-par coal, leading to further problems at Eskom.
Ngubane has told the state capture commission that the pre-payment was intended to secure coal supply and lock prices from Optimum, which was going under, so that whoever bought it would be committed to that supply and prices.
The former head of legal and compliance at Eskom is back at the state capture commission testifying about board decisions to approve the Tegeta prepayment as well as Brian Molefe’s appointment.
In the party’s sights are Tegeta, Optimum and Trillian following findings by the BBBEE Commission that they were awarded the Eskom contracts after misrepresenting their status or using fraudulent certificates.
Eskom official Snehel Nagar says that he would have been charged with insubordination had he challenged the instruction from his bosses to make the pre-payment to Tegeta.
Eskom official Snehal Nagar says Bhana Naidoo simply gave an instruction for the payment without giving details, adding that Eskom didn’t budget for the dodgy transaction.
The Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture is hearing testimony from Eskom officials Snehal Nagar and Gert Opperman on the “unlawful” prepayment Eskom made to Gupta owned Tegeta to buy Optimum coal mine.
Workers were last paid back in October with mining operations coming to an end in December.
Workers at Optimum and Koornfontein coal mines last received a payment in October, with mining operations coming to an end in December.
Clinton Ephron took the stand at the state capture inquiry on Wednesday and testified that Brian Molefe simply refused to negotiate a new contractual agreement with the mining company without giving reasons.
This emerged from testimony by former Glencore CEO Clinton Ephron, who is on the stand at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture.
Clinton Ephron's testimony comes a day after the inquiry heard evidence on Eskom’s coal supply agreements with Gupta-owned company Tegeta.