'I never resigned' - Molefe

Embattled Eskom CEO Brian Molefe was considered to be on "unpaid leave" after his initial resignation from the power utility in November last year‚ according to court papers filed on Monday.

The Mail and Guardian reported that Molefe and Public Enterprises Minister Lynn Brown both agree he never resigned from Eskom in a set of answering affidavits filed in response to the DA's application which seeks to have Molefe removed from the position.

Molefe‚ who was made an ANC MP after he resigned from the power utility in November last year‚ returned to his old job at Megawatt Park in Johannesburg last week‚ amid a dispute in which he believed he was entitled to a payment of more than R30-million after his resignation.

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He had initially resigned from Eskom‚ "in the interest of good corporate governance"‚ but now he and Brown say he was actually on unpaid leave. While Brown and the Eskom board is expected to brief Parliament's portfolio committee on the reappointment of Molefe on Tuesday‚ the two submitted affidavits in response to the DA's application on Monday.

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The Mail and Guardian reported that Molefe‚ in his affidavit‚ said: "It was explained to me that Eskom wanted me to return because of a concern about stabilising leadership and to address operational issues that it was facing."

Brown said she was unhappy about Molefe's pension pay-out‚ reported to be R30-million by the Sunday Times‚ and she had in fact asked the board to make another plan. The plan was to reinstate him in his former position. "The correct position is that my original contract of employment did not come to an end‚" Molefe said in his affidavit.