The DA has written to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises chairperson to push for an urgent inquiry into Eskom.

This request comes just a day after the meeting held with its board and the Minister of Public Enterprises yesterday.

“There is now support across party lines for a full-scale Parliamentary Inquiry into the multiple scandals, governance failures and the Molefe fiasco at Eskom,” said DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises and member of the committee, Natasha Mazzone.

“Late yesterday the ANC issued a statement calling for Parliamentary action to be taken after Eskom’s appearance before the committee yesterday. On the basis of this statement from the ANC, I fully expect ANC members in the committee to support the call I have made for a full-scale inquiry to commence,” she added.

The DA wants the inquiry to probe under what circumstance Molefe left Eskom, why he was reappointed and allegations by former Mineral Resources Minister, Ngoako Ramatlhodi that Molefe and Eskom chairperson, Ben Ngubane, attempted to coerce him to withdraw Glencore’s Optimum mining licences in order to ensure that the Guptas takeover Glencore’s coal mines.

It also wants to address the possibility that Minister Lynne Brown misled Parliament when she failed to disclose if there had been contracts of engagement between the Gupta-linked, Trillian and Eskom, in her reply to a DA parliamentary question.

Brown also defended Molefe from what she called vitriol levelled against him by the public and media.

“While Minister Brown yesterday alluded to an investigation which she wants to launch into Eskom’s procurement only, this will only scratch the surface of the deep-seated rot at Eskom, and a far more broad probe is needed into the capture, looting and all out governance collapse at Eskom. Only Parliament can get to the bottom of this,” Mazzone concluded.