Editorial: Molefe saga lays bare SA's faulty power lines

Exactly who is in charge of the country? That is the urgent question arising from the latest episode in the long-running political soap opera involving Brian Molefe, Eskom, parliament and the government.

News that Molefe — who just recently became a member of parliament under highly controversial circumstances — would rejoin Eskom as CEO tomorrow morning has sparked condemnation across the political spectrum.

Opposition parties and civil society fundamentally oppose the move because Molefe resigned from Eskom publicly stating that he was doing so in order to clear his name.

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This was after a public protector investigation named him in connection with questionable decisions by Eskom that ended up benefiting President Jacob Zuma's friends and their business partner, the president's son Duduzane.

Molefe has not yet cleared his name and, in fact, new reports emanating from the National Treasury about business relations between Eskom and the Gupta-owned coal company Tegeta have once again put his conduct during his first stint as CEO at the parastatal into question.

This is not the first time that a person with a questionable record has been appointed to a critical position; what makes Molefe's case particularly interesting is that even the ANC — which often springs to the defence of "deployees" who come under fire from the opposition — is joining the protest.

ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa is talking tough and told the Sunday Times yesterday that Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown has been summoned to Luthuli House, where she will be told to reverse Molefe's appointment or fire the Eskom board.

If the ANC — which, as the governing party, considers itself the country's "centre of power" — had no hand in Molefe's return to Eskom, who did?

Clearly power now lies neither at Luthuli House nor the Union Buildings, where the cabinet meets on the second Wednesday of each month.

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It lies with an unelected cabal of individuals hellbent on using the state to enrich themselves at the expense of the country. They are able to do so because the democratically elected president of the country allows, and even encourages, them in this.

No amount of shouting and threats from Luthuli House will put an end to this. The party has to deal with the elephant in the room and do so promptly. Zuma is the problem. Molefe would not have returned to Eskom without his approval.

It is clear that after Zuma was prevented from making Molefe his finance minister, he and his cabal decided that the former Eskom CEO would be of little value to them as a backbencher. With their other trusted "deployee" at Eskom, Matshela Koko, facing serious allegations that may end up forcing him out of the company, they decided to bring back Molefe to protect their interests.

The ANC says its MPs should not support a vote of no confidence in Zuma. But given that Zuma inflicts more damage to the country with each day he clings to power — as this saga makes clear — what is the ANC going to do about it?