Tsotsi on Wednesday continued his testimony before the state capture commission about the events that led to his board saying it doesn’t have confidence in him and his resignation.
A screengrab shows former Eskom chair Zola Tsotsi at the state capture inquiry on 8 September 2020. Picture: SABC Digital/YouTube
JOHANNESBURG – Former Eskom board chair Zola Tsotsi said he was asked to leave a board meeting organised to discuss charges against him after a person identified as ‘Romeo Khumalo’ brought something to the meeting, but he doesn’t know what it was.
Tsotsi on Wednesday continued his testimony before the state capture commission about the events that led to his board saying it doesn’t have confidence in him and his resignation.
One of the charges was that he had appointed Nick Linell as a consultant even though Linell had been brought in by Dudu Myeni in the presence of former President Jacob Zuma.
Tsotsi has testified that Myeni brought Linell to a meeting at Zuma’s homestead in KwaZulu-Natal – and in that meeting, Myeni and Zuma gave Linell the green light to write a board resolution to set up an inquiry into Eskom and suspend four executives.
But he said Khumalo brought something to a special board meeting and the board told Tsotsi to leave because it wanted to discuss him; and he would later find out that the board decided to use Linell’s appointment as a reason to remove him.
After his suspension, he told the media in interviews that he believed Minister Lynne Brown had something to do with it to which the minister threatened that he wouldn’t get his money if he didn’t retract the statement.
Tsotsi said he still hasn’t received the legal fees that he paid even though the utility agreed to pay them.
Deputy Justice Raymond Zondo has noted that Tsotsi’s removal mirrors many executives and officials who believed they were pushed out for refusing to co-operate with the Guptas.
WATCH: Former Eskom board chair Zola Tsotsi at the State Capture Commission
‘WE MUST PROTECT OUR LEADERS’ – RECORDING
The commission has heard recordings of Eskom board members saying that even though President Zuma and Minister Brown instructed the board to suspend executives – they should not be mentioned in any media statements when the suspensions were announced.
A barely audible recording played before the state capture commission has reminded former board chair that one of the board members said quote “we must protect our leaders”
Tsotsi says he had brought up the fact that he was called to President Zuma’s residence by Myeni – where the whole plan was set in motion.
He said the board that he led adopted the resolution drafted by Linell to set up an inquiry and suspend four executives – with the approval of minister brown.
But the same board was adamant that Zuma and Brown must not be mentioned in statements announcing the decision – and the decision should be attributed to the board.
