Opposition parties seek legal advice on interdicting Molefe return to Eskom

Opposition parties and the Freedom Movement have said they will seek legal advice on whether they can interdict Brian Molefe from returning to Eskom as its chief executive.

The parastatal’s board announced on Friday that Molefe was returning to it‚ following his resignation last year after being implicated in the public protector’s State of Capture report.

Save South Africa and the opposition parties were speaking at a joint media briefing in Johannesburg on Friday.

• Minister Brown backs Eskom CEO 'reshuffle'Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown has said she supports the proposal by Eskom board’s to reinstate Brian Molefe as group chief executive because it presented “a better value proposition for the South African fiscus” - provided it was legal. 

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said: "Brian Molefe does not belong in parliament. He was never an honourable member. He does not belong at Eskom. He should face criminal charges.

"[This is] our stance collectively. We all agree that we can't allow someone who is facing being criminally charged‚ facing a state capture report‚ to return to Eskom.

"It's quite clear we have a Gupta-run state. It's quite clear that the sovereignty of our nation has been donated to private interests of a family‚" Maimane said.

• WATCH LIVE: Brown briefs media on Molefe's return to EskomThe Minister of Public Enterprises, Lynne Brown, is briefing the media on Eskom following the announcement that Brian Molefe would be returning as its CEO. 

He said Parliament should deal with Eskom in the same way it dealt with the SABC.

"These are state resources and require an inquiry to deal with Molefe alone ... it requires some form of interdict to say Molefe can't go back to Eskom. Ultimately‚ like his boss‚ he should face criminal charges.

The Freedom Movement said Molefe's reinstatement at Eskom had come as a shock.

"As far as we are concerned‚ Brian Molefe's name has not been clean. He remains a corrupt human being who must be far away from any office of leadership‚” said the Freedom Movement's Prince Mashele.

• ANC leads condemnation of Molefe's return to EskomThe ANC on Friday joined a chorus of condemnation against Brian Molefe's return to Eskom as chief executive. 

"We are consulting also with lawyers and we are going to wait for advice in that regard. We are going to interdict."

He said it seemed that the Gupta family had decided to bring Molefe back to Eskom so they can loot state resources.

"We think this is an insult to the people of South Africa‚" Mashele said.