Molefe: It is time to pay

20 October 2022

Solidarity welcomes the judgment against Brian Molefe, that he must repay money to the Eskom Pension Fund and has further announced that it will continue to pursue criminal prosecution. Solidarity says that just as Molefe could not escape civil liability, he will not be able to escape criminal prosecution either.

Former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe’s day of reckoning for the looting of pension funds has come. This accountability, as confirmed by Eskom before the parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), came after Solidarity took Molefe to court in 2018 over his role in large-scale pension fraud.

In 2018, after Solidarity took Molefe to court, the North Gauteng High Court ruled that Molefe had to pay back the funds he blatantly received illegally. In the meantime, Solidarity also included Molefe in the charges filed against 21 alleged state capturers earlier this year to ensure that justice is served. 

“The list of criminal charges facing Molefe is long, and he must face criminal prosecution for every one of his offences. Nothing less should be expected and nothing less will be acceptable,” said Connie Mulder, head of the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI). “Molefe is accountable for the decay in the state sector that has gone unnoticed, and therefore Eskom now has the responsibility to use the powers it has to make him pay.”

Solidarity is of the opinion that corruption has been the order of the day for far too long and if entities that now have the power to stand up to and enforce the consequences that come with unlawfulness and they do not do so, they will send a clear message that it is considered to be acceptable. Eskom’s decision to enforce the most recent decision against Molefe will send a message to South Africa about where its moral compass lies. 

“Brian Molefe stole pension money. This is what the court found and therefore he must pay back every cent plus interest. Corruption cannot be the order of the day anymore – not if South Africans have any hope for our country. It is time that these criminals pay for their actions. Solidarity is far from done with state capturers and will take any and all steps necessary to make sure justice is done,” Mulder concluded. 

Issued by Connie Mulder, Head: Solidarity Research Institute, 20 October 2022