Singh's tactic 'is not clever'

Suspended Eskom chief financial officer Anoj Singh was sent packing from parliament's inquiry into state capture at the utility after he failed to provide the necessary documents to the committee on time.

Inquiry chair Zukiswa Rantho said Singh was supposed to have testified last month but had written to ask for an extension as he and his legal team were not ready. He was then given Tuesday as a new deadline.

The inquiry could not continue because Singh's legal team only sent the documents - totalling 400 pages - at 11pm on Monday.

Rantho said Singh would have to account at a later date and that parliament would not be paying for his flights as previously planned. "We're not like Eskom where if we feel it necessary to give our friends a certain amount, we just give that amount. We account to the public of South Africa."

ANC MP Zukile Luyenge said the committee had made the request for documents in July, but they only arrived "at the 11th hour".

DA MP Natasha Mazzone said Singh's tactic "is not clever", and that the delay would give her time to read the documents over the December holidays "not once, not twice, not three times, four times".

Earlier in the day, the committee heard that former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe didn't have a contract with the utility for months after he started his work in October 2015.