Ramokgopa refutes 'conflict of interest' claims in Oberholzer scoring R9.5bn battery storage tender
But Mbatha was not moved by Ramokgopa explanations.
'Thank you, chairperson, we take this opportunity to reject any information that says there's [no] complication of interest. The COO left Eskom, officially, in 2023 and the following year, the tender was advertised. Then he gets a R9.5bn tender. This is not magic, this a conflict of interest.
'He participated in planning years; he participated in strategic plans. It's a conflict of interest. You should tell us what you are going to do, because it's a conflict of interest,' said Mbatha in his follow-up.
In response, Ramokgopa pointed out that the controversial deal had been ventilated for four hours during a meeting of the electricity and energy portfolio committee on Wednesday, in which nobody produced any evidence of wrongdoing.
'We spent four hours in the portfolio committee and these allegations were not substantiated.
'The second thing, just to understand the configuration of the procurement process, [is that] Eskom is not involved in the procurement of new generation capacity. Eskom through the NTCSA (National Transmission Company of SA), is the buyer of this new generation capacity.
'The process is incubated at the DBSA and the design was deliberate, to ensure that buyer is not involved in the procurement process, to ensure that the executive authority is not involved in the procurement process as laid out.
'If there's any evidence by any members in this house or anybody watching at home, bring it to our attention or alternatively, you can interdict the process, and it will be ventilated, and you can substantiate before the courts of law.
'So, it's not sufficient just to label process discredited, without any substantial evidence. Thank you house chair.'
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