Eleven searing observations made in Parliament about the return of Brian 'Papa Action' Molefe

Shifting explanations about the return of Brian “Papa Action” Molefe to Eskom were “nonsense”‚ the nation heard on Tuesday.

Public enterprises minister Lynne Brown and Eskom board chairman Ben Ngubane were grilled about this in a searing question and answer session.

The pair faced a barrage of questions – which at times they struggled to answer – from former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and members of parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises.

They demanded to know why and how Molefe had been reinstated as CEO of the parastatal after his brief stint as a member of parliament.

Molefe had in November announced he would step down from Eskom from January 1‚ and he was sworn in as an ANC MP in February. He resurfaced at Eskom in May.

The questions were‚ at times‚ pointed and stinging.

• Gordhan's back... and Eskom knows itFormer finance minister Pravin Gordhan led the roasting of the Eskom board and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown yesterday over the reappointment of Brian Molefe. 

Here are 11 quotes that sum up a tense four-hour session in parliament:

• “The questions are aplenty. The answers are all over the show. They lack credibility‚ both in the public domain and‚ from what I am hearing‚ here as well.” - Committee member and former finance minister Pravin Gordhan‚ ANC

• “This whole situation has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. For the minister and Dr Ngubane to expect the South African public to just sit back and accept what has been brought before us today is unacceptable and it really is a slap in the face of good governance.” - Natasha Mazzone‚ Democratic Alliance (DA).

• “There is a question mark around Brian. That question mark has not been killed‚ as a matter of fact.” - Mondli Gungubele‚ ANC

• “We must stop the games … and not listen to what I think is the nonsensical explanation by the minister. It must be rejected outright and we must give a directive that the Eskom board should be subjected to an inquiry to check if it is suitable to continue as the board of Eskom.” - Floyd Shivambu‚ Economic Freedom Fighters

• “Let us dispense with the nonsense. Brian Molefe was not on maternity leave‚ he was not on long leave‚ he had not temporarily taken unpaid leave. Brian Molefe had resigned from Eskom.” - John Steenhuisen‚ DA

• On Molefe it is clear that we are being sold a bald-faced lieEskom's board and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown appear to inhabit an alternative reality to the rest of South Africa. 

• “This whole issue goes beyond a matter of the court case‚ beyond Mr Molefe‚ beyond Eskom. The heart of it is good governance and whether or not we want good governance in the country.” - Narend Singh‚ Inkatha Freedom Party

• “Increasingly the public is aware of what you as the board are doing and not doing. They are increasingly aware that you are abusing state property and state resources in the name of yourselves‚ not in the name of the South African public.” - Gordhan

• “That you are part of‚ either wittingly or unwittingly‚ in some cases there is enough evidence to say wittingly‚ a conspiracy to capture Eskom for the purposes of the benefit of a few. That is the reality.” - Gordhan

• “We are not re-employing this man (Molefe). He was simply reverting to the status quo because the original agreement that he can take early retirement has been rescinded.” - Eskom board chairman Ben Ngubane

• “We are not a bunch of idiots who just want to be called board members of Eskom. We are there to work.” - Ngubane

• He resigned. He retired. No‚ he was on unpaid leave – the desperate attempt to explain Molefe’s reinstatementGovernment‚ Eskom and the parastatal's board seem to be involved in a game of twister as they desperately try to explain away Eskom's CEO Brian Molefe's departure and now subsequent return. 

• “Worse still‚ what South Africans are increasingly worried about is that we've reached a stage in managing governance in South Africa where there are a significant number of people in bureaucracy and elsewhere who are taking a view that says: 'I don't care if you know what I'm doing; I don't care how many reports the public protector or anyone else provides because I am protected.' The question is‚ by whom and at what cost and how will history record your role ultimately in this regard?” - Gordhan

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE