Minister Patel appoints union allies to ICD board
According to reports, COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, and Chief Executive of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union's (SACTWU's) investment group, John Copelyn, have been appointed to the board of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
The IDC is primarily responsible for channelling state financial support towards industrial projects with the aim to create incentives for job-creating projects.
Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, not only has the power to appoint members of the IDC board, but he also has close ties to COSATU due to his tenure as General Secretary of SACTWU.
It therefore appears that Minister Patel is using his powers to fill the IDC board with his political allies.
I will therefore today be writing to Minister Patel to ask that he publicly explains why these two appointments are appropriate, given his apparent conflict of interest.